New York 83; Denver 75

DENVER, April 3 (UPI) -- Travis Knight scored eight of his season-high 10 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night as New York rallied for an 83-75 victory over Denver.

The victory over the woeful Nuggets snapped a three-game slide and kept the Knicks' slim playoff hopes.

The 7-0 Knight, an extra big man who only plays because of injuries or foul trouble, fueled a 17-3 surge that started the fourth quarter and turned a six-point deficit into a 73-63 lead.

"I'm here to play," Knight said. "When they play me, I go in and play. If not, it's a coach's decision."

"Travis Knight stepped up big-time," said Knicks Coach Don Chaney. "I was surprised he was able to contribute as long as he did tonight. He was very active and very alert defensively."

Knight made all three of his shots and 4-of-5 free throws while pulling down five rebounds in 16 minutes. He filled in nicely for Othella Harrington, who did not play after suffering a foot injury during pregame warmups.

"It took me a little bit to get my timing back," Knight said. "We had a lot of people hurt, so we can't even practice long. I got fouled right away and got to make some free throws, which helped."

"Travis played great on both ends of the floor, rebounding and playing solid defense," said Knicks center Kurt Thomas, who made just 4-of-15 shots. "He put the ball in the hole for us."

Allan Houston scored 27 points for the Knicks (33-42), who remained 3 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. They have just seven games remaining, including the next three on the road.

Juwan Howard had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Nuggets, who managed just 13 points in the final period, making 5-of-19 shots, including just one in the first 10 minutes.

Nuggets reserve center Marcus Camby scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in his first game against his former team. He was traded to Denver last June in the deal that brought Antonio McDyess to New York.