NEW YORK, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Alan Houston scored 13 of his 24 points and Charlie Ward eight of his 14 in the fourth quarter Tuesday night as the New York Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 103-98, for their fifth victory in their last six games.
Latrell Sprewell added 21 points and Kurt Thomas 18 to help New York cap a 4-1 homestand. The Knicks begin a three-game road trip at Miami on Wednesday.
New York held a 16-point advantage midway through the second quarter and held a 58-48 lead at the half. But Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 19 of his 30 points in the third quarter to give the Hawks a one-point lead on two occasions, including a 75-74 edge on a pair of free throws with 1:22 left.
But Howard Eisley countered with a jumper with 1:05 to play to give the Knicks the lead for good. New York's lead was just 82-79 before Ward nailed a 3-pointer, Houston a jump shot and free throw and Ward a jumper to give the team an 11-point advantage with 7:21 left.
Abdur-Rahim also grabbed 17 rebounds and Glenn Robinson scored 26 points for the Hawks, who lost for the seventh time in their last nine games. They have lost their last six contests in New York.
