It Gets Worse for Knicks With Home Loss to Celtics

Hard to say that the New York Knicks are in a slump, because slumps only happen to good teams.

Right now, the Knicks aren’t a good team.

In another disheartening loss to one of the worst teams in the East, the Knicks saw Paul Pierce score 31 points and Antoine Walker add 23 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead Boston to a 92-86 victory Thursday night, ending a string of 15 Celtic losses in New York.

“It’s bad, trust me, but it’s hard to say how bad,” Latrell Sprewell said of the Knicks, who have lost four of five games. “It’s not good, but it’s not time to push the panic button just yet.”

The Knicks were booed off the court after being held below 90 points for the 16th time this season.

Allan Houston shot two for 12 and scored four points, Sprewell committed six of New York’s 17 turnovers and Marcus Camby left after 10 minutes because of a strained groin.

Glen Rice was the only New York bright spot, scoring 32 points.

Milwaukee 80, New Jersey 78--Ray Allen scored 16 points and made a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift the Bucks past the Nets at Milwaukee.

The Nets, who overcame a 28-point deficit in the second half, had tied it on Stephon Marbury’s three-pointer with 5.6 seconds left.

Orlando 99, Chicago 88--Tracy McGrady had 31 points and nine assists as the Magic won at Orlando, Fla.

Around the League

The NBA fined Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway $5,000 and Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan $7,500 for their actions in games Wednesday night. Hardaway was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct--throwing two towels and a heat pack on the court--following his fourth-quarter ejection in the Heat’s loss to Charlotte. Sloan was fined for verbal abuse of officials and failing to leave the court in a timely fashion following his first-quarter ejection in the Jazz’s victory at Philadelphia.