Ewing Scares Knicks In Loss
Patrick Ewing gave the New York Knicks another scare. Unlike last year, though, this injury doesn't appear to be serious.
Ewing, who missed most of last season with a fractured wrist, hyperextended his right knee in the second quarter of Friday night's 92-90 exhibition loss to the New Jersey Nets.
The Knicks center didn't return after leaving with 6:36 left in the first half, but he didn't sound worried after the game.
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"It's sore right now but I'm day-to-day," said Ewing, who was injured when he stepped on Lucious Harris' foot while fighting for an offensive rebound. "I hope to be ready to play in Orlando. That's the plan."
The Knicks open the regular season next Friday against the Magic.
"I'm concerned but we are just going to have to wait and see," New York coach Jeff Van Gundy said of Ewing's injury. "If he misses practice time, this is definitely a setback for him."
The 36-year-old Ewing, who has had four operations on the same knee, finished with one rebound, two points and three turnovers.
Keith Van Horn, who didn't play in New Jersey's 88-87 loss to the Knicks on Wednesday because of food poisoning, had 33 points and nine rebounds to lead the Nets in the rematch.
"I was pleased with the effort," said Nets coach John Calipari. "You want to get a win to get that winning feeling."
The Knicks trailed by eight points in the fourth quarter before rallying to take a 90-89 lead with 1:46 remaining on a three-point play by Allan Houston, who finished with 29 points.
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| The Nets didn't let Latrell Sprewell run over them this time. (AP) |
But Chris Gatling made a three-point play with 21.3 seconds left to put the Nets ahead 92-90. The Knicks had a final chance, but Rick Brunson and Latrell Sprewell missed shots in the closing seconds.
Sprewell, who scored 27 points in his Knicks debut on Wednesday, had 12 of his 15 points in the third period as New York extended a 46-42 halftime lead to 68-55.
But the Nets closed the period with a 12-3 run, including four points apiece from Van Horn and Eric Murdock, to cut the margin to 71-67.
Gatling scored 18 points for the Nets, while Kendall Gill and Harris each had 14.
"It's become a rivalry," Gatling said of the Nets-Knicks matchups. "We didn't initiate it, but we'll accept the challenge. If we want to take the next step, these are the kind of teams we have to beat."
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