Knicks show resiliency

New York bounces back for win over 76ers

? A quick turnaround is just what the New York Knicks needed to put a disappointing loss behind them.

Stephon Marbury had 20 points and 12 assists to lift the New York Knicks to an 86-75 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

The win, which helped solidify the Knicks’ playoff positioning, was a huge lift after a 25-point loss to the New Jersey Nets on Friday.

“We were embarrassed,” Knicks coach Lenny Wilkens said. “And the way you get it back is to come out the next night and show everyone we can play the defense we talk about.”

Kurt Thomas scored 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting and had 14 rebounds for New York, which moved a half-game ahead of idle Boston for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Former Sixer Nazr Mohammed added 16 points.

“We’re making a push,” Marbury said. “From where we were (10th in the conference on Jan. 5) to where we are now, we’ve made big strides. Our mindset and our disposition as a unit is togetherness.”

The Knicks made five of 10 three-pointers to bounce back from the previous night’s 2-for-13 effort. They also registered 25 assists on their 31 field goals. Marbury had nine assists in the first half after recording none in the first two quarters against the Nets.

But, as Wilkens noted, the biggest turnaround was on defense.

New York had allowed four of its last five opponents to score over 100 points. Saturday, the Knicks held the Sixers to 37.5 percent shooting and just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc.

“We wanted to come out and be aggressive,” Thomas said. “We wanted to contest every shot and just rebound the ball.”

Samuel Dalembert scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, his fifth double-double in his last six games, for the Sixers, who have lost two straight. Dalembert also set a career high with nine blocked shots.

Dalembert fell one block short of the Sixers’ franchise record and his first career triple-double.

“(Dalembert) has gotten a lot better during this season,” Sixers guard Eric Snow said. “He has a lot of room to improve, but he’s going to be someone to reckon with next year and in the years to come.”

Mohammed had six points during a 13-4 run late in the second quarter that put the Knicks ahead by 16. Mohammed closed the half with a short jumper to make it 52-38.

The Sixers pulled within seven midway through the fourth quarter, but Mohammed made a layup and Marbury nailed a three to extend the lead to 12. Philadelphia cut the lead to eight with 2:28 remaining, but Tim Thomas sank two free throws and Marbury made a three to seal the victory.

Hornets 94, Blazers 81

Portland, Ore. — P.J. Brown scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting to lead New Orleans past Portland.

Zach Randolph had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers, who dropped into a tie with Utah for ninth place in the Western Conference playoff race. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Darius Miles had 14 points each for the Blazers.

Jamaal Magloire added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who ended a 10-game road losing streak that dated to Feb. 17.

Heat 97, Bulls 83

Chicago — Eddie Jones scored 21 points, and Caron Butler had 19 points and 14 rebounds in Miami’s victory over Chicago. Miami, a half-game behind Milwaukee for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, lost rookie guard Dwyane Wade to a ribcage injury late in the second quarter.

Miami, which has won 10 of its last 12 games, took a 41-31 at the half on Butler’s three-pointer at the buzzer.

The Heat pulled away with a 14-2 run in the third quarter. Butler scored six points during the spree, and Jones hit a jumper with 4:20 left in the quarter to give Miami a 62-39 lead.

Mavericks 124, Suns 103

Dallas — Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points, Antawn Jamison had 22 and Dallas beat Phoenix for its league-leading 33rd victory at home.

Michael Finley had 20 points and Steve Nash added nine points and 14 assists for the Mavericks. They shot a season-best 61 percent to improve to 33-5 at home.

Josh Howard contributed 14 points and eight assists, and Antoine Walker and Marquis Daniels added 11 points each for Dallas. Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, who lost for the fourth time in six games.

Warriors 103, Cavs 100

Cleveland — Jason Richardson scored a season-high 35 points, topping LeBron James’ 34, and leading Golden State over Cleveland, dimming the Cavaliers’ playoff chances. Cavaliers coach Paul Silas called the game a must win to maintain realistic hopes for the playoffs.

The loss dropped Cleveland to three games behind idle Boston for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.