Ewing Hurt In Knicks Romp

April 13, 1999 / 11:25 PM EDT / CBS/AP

In a matchup of teams on the playoff bubble, the New York Knicks showed a sense of urgency even after they lost Patrick Ewing while the Philadelphia 76ers acted aloof.

Ewing's sore Achilles' tendon lasted only 12 minutes Tuesday night, but the Knicks didn't need him in a one-sided 91-72 victory over the 76ers.

"They tell me it's going to take eight weeks of not doing anything for it to be 100 percent, but I don't have eight weeks," Ewing said of his injury, which caused him to miss six games in early March. He said he was "hopeful" he could play Wednesday night at Washington.

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Ewing left the game late in the second quarter with the Knicks ahead by 14. Without him, New York built the lead as high as 29 points and coasted to its third straight victory.

The win moved the Knicks 1½ games ahead of the Sixers, who currently hold eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and within one game of fourth place Detroit. The Knicks and Sixers will play each other two more times this season.

"Do I think we've got a shot? I think we've got a real good shot," said Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, who had a miserable game. "We can't let this game determine the rest of the season."

Kurt Thomas tied his season high with 18 points for the Knicks, while Larry Johnson had 17, Latrell Sprewell 16 and Marcus Camby 15.

Iverson scored just 11 points, missing 11 of his first 13 shots and committing seven turnovers. Iverson also missed a breakaway layup and airballed a free throw.

"Ten games into the season, I had two of them (in one game), so it's happened before," Iverson said of his airball.

New York took control early against a team that seemed unmotivated and disinterested right from the start. A 3-pointer by Johnson made it 14-4 with 5:46 left in the first quarter, and a nice 1-on-1 movby Charlie Ward against Iverson made it 26-12 at the end of the quarter.

"I think maybe we were a little scared, and I think that had to do with their level of intensity and the way the game started so badly for us. I don't think we ever recovered from the beginning," 76ers coach Larry Brown said.

Sprewell was fouled on a 20-foot jumper and converted the three-point play after Brown was given a technical foul by referee Dee Kantner, and the Knicks were ahead 48-30 at the half as the Sixers had already committed 14 of their 27 turnovers.

The third quarter featured an early offensive burst by the Knicks, who went ahead 63-34 on a 3-pointer by Johnson with 4:43 left.

The 76ers eventually pulled to 70-54 on a four-point play by Iverson early in the fourth, but Sprewell answered with a jumper, a steal and a two-handed uncontested dunk to quickly take back the momentum.

"We're definitely going to make a statement," Thomas said. "Down the stretch we're going to finish up strong and position ourselves well for the playoffs. We've got a three-game winning streak going, and now we're trying to build on it."

Notes: George Lynch was placed on the injured list by the 76ers, ending his consecutive games streak at 118. ... A fan named Anthony Mason of Queens was selected to participate in a shooting contest during a first-quarter timeout. He did not win the $77,777 prize. ... The Knicks improved to 9-10 against teams with winning records. ... Philadelphia has lost 18 of its last 20 games at Madison Square Garden. ... The Sixers went 2-2 on their road trip, losing the final two games. ... Knicks backup point guard Chris Childs has not committed a turnover in 80 minutes over three games.