New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - David Lee scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and doled out a season-high six assists to lead the
New York Knicks in a 128-122 victory over the
Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden in the front end of a home-and-home set.
Al Harrington totaled 27 points and Quentin Richardson 26 for the Knicks, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since December 10-13. Chris Duhon added 17 points and nine assists while Wilson Chandler had 14 points in the win.
Nick Young poured in a career-high 33 points for the Wizards, who have dropped six consecutive games. Caron Butler chipped in 25 points and Mike James 20 in defeat.
Two free throws from Butler cut Washington's deficit to 114-111 with 3:19 showing on the clock.
However, Lee had a layup and Richardson drained a three-pointer to boost New York's lead to 119-111, and the Wizards failed to pull closer than six points down the stretch.
"They were making big shots and we were making shots," said Young. "It came down to the last couple of stops and they made more than we did."
The Knicks led 36-30 after the first quarter but were up just 67-66 at the break.
The teams traded baskets and the score was close throughout the third quarter, but Harrington's fast break dunk and Lee's two free throws gave the home team a 94-87 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
"I think we played with great energy all night," said Lee. "The problem was they were hitting all their shots."
Young's jumper brought the visitors within 100-99 with just over eight minutes left in the game.
Lee's dunk and four points from Duhon highlighted New York's 8-3 run that gave the Knicks a 108-102 lead with about 5 1/2 minutes left to play.
Game Notes
The Knicks are averaging 107.9 points per game this season. They are 14-10 when scoring 100-plus points and 1-12 when they fail to hit the century mark...Lee has 23 double-doubles in his last 26 games...New York is averaging 123.3 points in its three games against Washington this season...Both teams shot well, with Washington hitting 59.7 percent from the field and New York making 53.7 percent of its shots...The Wizards have dropped five straight games on the road and own a lowly 2-16 record as the visitor this season...The Knicks are 9-8 in the Big Apple this season...New York is 3-0 against Washington this season and has won four straight and 16 of the past 23 meetings. The Wizards have lost three in a row and five of their previous six contests at MSG.
