NEW YORK _ At Madison Square Garden, where there rarely is missed an opportunity to refer to it as "The World's Most Famous Arena," has become known for this season mostly as the place where the Knicks lose almost every night.
The Knicks had tried different lineups, a variety of strategies, but they had found no answers for nearly three full months, losing 18 consecutive games at home dating back to Dec. 1. And Knicks coach David Fizdale was asked if he was trying to find something that would change their fortunes.
"Incense? Sage?" Fizdale said before the game _ most likely joking, but when the streak reaches these depths it's hard to rule out anything. "I've done different stuff, but I like to keep that internal. We've done different stuff but that's not really what it comes down to. We've just got to get better and we've got to do our jobs better when we're out there. Execute the detail, communicate, fly around for 48 minutes."
On this night, they certainly didn't do everything right. The night began with Kevin Knox and Dennis Smith Jr. moving in to corral a rebound in the opening minutes with no Spurs player near them and accidentally tipping it in to give San Antonio two points. And a 23-point second-half lead disappeared, fading to a nail-biting margin in the fourth quarter.
But for once _ at least once since Dec. 1 _ the Knicks won at home, holding off the Spurs for a 130-118 win and avoiding at least one small piece of NBA history. The Knicks already had set a franchise record for consecutive home losses, but a loss Sunday would have tied for the worst streak in NBA history with the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks.
And they flew around to the final buzzer. In the last minute Lance Thomas, who had not gotten off the bench in four of the last five games, hit a 3-pointer to give him 16 points, and then Smith banked a pass off the backboard for Mitchell Robinson to slam home.
The Knicks have hardly been good at home or on the road, as you would expect from a team with a 12-48 record. They entered the night with a 4-24 record at home _ worse than the 7-24 road mark.
"I don't know. That's a good question," Fizdale said before the game. "We've got 11 wins so we're better on the road than at home. I'm not sure exactly what it is. We just try to make sure that we prepare thoroughly every day. And we just keep growing them and developing them daily. And when the games come, we roll them out there and get them competing."
The Spurs were a susceptible foe, on the last leg of their annual rodeo road trip when they embark on a three-week road swing while the rodeo takes over their home arena, finishing off with this game and then on to Brooklyn on Monday. But unlike most seasons they have struggled badly, now losing six of seven games on the trip.
The Knicks led by as many as 23 in the third quarter, but before the period was over the Spurs rallied to shrink the deficit to 94-83. And the quarter ended ominously with Kevin Knox airmailing a wide-open 3-pointer.
San Antonio closed within eight repeatedly, but the Knicks answered back every time. Damyean Dotson, who led the Knicks with 27 points, hit a 3-pointer with 4:57 to play to push the lead back to 112-101 and when it was down to eight again Robinson hit a free throw and Dotson then delivered again, hitting a 3 with 2:19 remaining. After the Spurs answered with a 3-pointer from Bryn Forbes, Smith connected on a driving layup to put the Knicks up 122-111 with 1:44 remaining.
After a Spurs miss, Robinson dunked and hung on the rim, drawing a foul on the play which he converted for a three-point play and a 125-111 lead as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich emptied his bench.
