In a game that turned into a blowout just moments after the opening tip, Jeff Van Gundy's Houston Rockets scored 23 of the game's first 25 points to humiliate the revamped New York Knicks 111-79 Thursday.
The loss was the fourth in succession for the Knicks, their second straight since acquiring Stephen Marbury and Penny Hardaway in an eight-player trade with Phoenix.
"Awful, awful," said Knicks coach Don Chaney. "We played like strangers at both ends of the floor."
Marbury played poorly for the second straight game, scoring six points on 3-for-12 shooting. His lowlight came late in the third quarter when he went up softly on a two-on-one break and had his layup rejected on a spectacular leap by Steve Francis.
"I would never think it would happen this bad," Marbury said. "We cannot dwell on this. After a win, this all goes away."
Francis dominated the point guard matchup, scoring 25 points with five assists. Every Houston starter reached double figures, with Jim Jackson getting 21, Yao Ming scoring 15, Cuttino Mobley adding 14 and Kelvin Cato 10. The victory margin matched Houston's largest of the season.
Timberwolves 96, Trail Blazers 75
In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Latrell Sprewell scored 25 points to lead Minnesota over the travel weary Portland.
Sam Cassell added 10 points and 11 assists for Minnesota, which has won 14 of 17 and seven straight at home.
Zach Randolph scored 19 points for the Blazers, who did not arrive in Minneapolis until 3:15am local time due to hazardous weather conditions in Portland. The lack of rest translated into sluggish play and 41 percent shooting, as the Blazers fell to 1-13 on the road.
The poor weather in the Pacific Northwest, which forced the game against Memphis on Tuesday to be postponed, also prevented center Dale Davis from flying out to Minneapolis.
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