NEW YORK, March 1 (UPI) -- Latrell Sprewell scored 16 of his 28 points in the two overtime periods and added 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his second career triple-double Friday night as the New York Knicks honored Patrick Ewing with a 118-110 victory over the Orlando Magic.
It was a magical night at Madison Square Garden, where Ewing had his No. 33 retired in a halftime ceremony and the sellout crowd of 19,763 was treated to a physically and mentally draining game punctuated by Sprewell's performance.
Sprewell compiled his triple-double before the end of the fourth quarter. The Knicks had a chance to win in regulation, but Clarence Weatherspoon -- after pulling down one of his 24 rebounds -- missed an open layup in the final second.
After making the first basket of overtime, Sprewell made consecutive three-pointers to erase a six-point deficit and forge a 103-103 tie with 59 seconds left. He stole an inbounds pass but missed a runner, then missed an open 10-footer just before the buzzer.
The teams went to a second overtime, where Sprewell again made consecutive three-pointers to offset a basket by Magic rookie Gordan Giricek and give the Knicks a 109-105 lead with 3:49 remaining.
The game was scoreless for 2 1/2 minutes as the players appeared exhausted. Orlando's Drew Gooden tipped in a miss at the 1:17 mark, but Sprewell answered with a jumper with a minute to go.
Prior to the game, Ewing expressed his appreciation for the tribute.
"My whole Knick experience has been great," Ewing said. "It's been something I can cherish."
Joining the likes of Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Earl Monroe, Ewing was the first Knick without a championship to have his number retired. But he almost singlehandedly restored the team's image as a contender and became its all-time leader in virtually every category.
"The only thing he didn't get was the ring," Reed said. "He did everything he could to do it. If he had a couple more guys, if he had a Clyde, a great shooter like Dave DeBuscherre, he would have won."
"They're all great, but he was the greatest," former coach Jeff Van Gundy said.
"Despite not winning the championship -- that's something I wanted -- I think I had a great career," Ewing said. "That's the only thing I'm disappointed with."
