Sonics’ Defense Buries Knicks Seattle Sets Team Record By Holding New York To 64 Points

What a difference a day can make.

One night after their best-shooting game of the season, the New York Knicks had one of their worst performances ever.

The Seattle SuperSonics held New York to just 20 field goals - one more than the NBA record-low - in an 84-64 victory Friday night.

The Sonics won their fifth straight game and snapped the Knicks’ seven-game winning streak. Though Seattle tied a season-low with 84 points, they easily won by setting a team record for fewest points by an opponent.

“It was their defense and our offense,” Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “If you don’t shoot the ball good, nothing goes good.”

Allan Houston led the Knicks with 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting.

“They forced us into bad shots and once people take bad shots it becomes a chain reaction.”

Only an off-balance baseline jumper by rookie Walter McCarty with 2.3 seconds left allowed the Knicks to avoid tying the NBA record-low of 19 field goals set by Indiana in 1985. The Knicks, with the fewest field goals in team history, set a season low for points. The 64 were only three more than the lowest total in franchise history.

Seattle’s swarming defense held the Knicks without a basket for the first 8:32 of the fourth quarter before Houston’s 3-point basket made it 80-58.

The Sonics held Patrick Ewing to seven points on 1-for-8 shooting.

“They’re going to double- and triple-team you,” Ewing said. “I just have to do a better job finding the open man.”

The Knicks shot 30.3 percent overall. On Thursday night, they shot 59.4 percent at Sacramento.

Reserve Terry Cumming and Gary Payton each scored 17 points for Seattle. Hersey Hawkins added 14.

Seattle signed Cummings on Jan. 13 to provide some backup strength at the center and power forward spots. With Shawn Kemp in foul trouble, Cummings shot 7-for-9 with four steals and five rebounds.

His teammates weren’t surprised by Cummings’ performance.

“Terry look liked his old self,” Sam Perkins said. “He looks like he’s getting adjusted to our offensive and defensive system.”

Kemp had just seven points and 10 rebounds, but the Sonics were never threatened after the second quarter.

The Sonics’ defense forced 24 turnovers and had 16 steals.

A year ago, Ewing scored 41 points in an overtime win at Seattle. But this season the Sonics shackled the Knicks’ star center, holding him to 15 points on 5-for-23 shooting in the two games.

Cummings made two baskets and Perkins hit a 3-point shot as the Sonics scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter for a 71-53 lead.

New York didn’t score a point in the fourth quarter until Ewing’s free throw with 7:33 left.

John Starks’ 3-point shot gave the Knicks a 31-29 lead with 7:14 left in the first half, but it was all downhill for New York after that.

The Sonics responded with a 14-2 run capped by Detlef Schrempf’s 3-point shot for a 43-33 lead with 2:02 left in the first half. Hawkins had five points during the run. The Knicks had only two baskets the last six minutes of the first half.

Notes: Sonics reserve David Wingate didn’t dress for the game because of a strained thigh muscle. … Starks sustained a right thigh contusion with 1:59 left in the third quarter when he was kneed by Cummings.

SuperSonics 84, Knicks 64

FG FT Reb NEW YORK Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Johnson 39 2-9 3-4 3-6 4 5 8 Oakley 35 3-7 1-2 0-7 2 4 7 Ewing 30 1-8 5-10 2-9 1 4 7 Childs 31 4-12 0-1 1-3 2 3 10 Houston 38 3-11 3-4 1-6 1 3 11 B.Williams 20 2-3 1-2 0-2 0 2 5 Starks 11 3-5 0-0 0-1 1 3 8 Ward 22 1-6 0-0 1-3 3 1 2 Wallace 8 0-3 2-2 0-4 0 0 2 McCarty 4 1-2 0-2 2-2 0 1 2 Brooks 2 0-0 2-2 0-0 0 0 2 Totals 240 20-66 17-29 10-43 14 26 64

Percentages: FG .303, FT .586.

3-Point Goals: 7-20, .350 (Starks 2-3, Childs 2-5, Houston 2-7, Johnson 1-2, Oakley 0-1, Ward 0-2).

Team Rebounds: 13.

Blocked shots: 2 (Johnson, Ewing).

Turnovers: 24 (Johnson 4, Childs 4, Ewing 3, Ward 3, Houston 2, B.Williams 2, Wallace 2, Oakley, Starks, team 2).

Steals: 13 (Oakley 4, Johnson 2, Childs 2, Starks 2, B.Williams, Ward, Brooks).

Technical fouls: Illegal defense, 5:04 first; Illegal defense, 1:37 second; Johnson, 3:45 third.

Illegal defense: 1.

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Kemp 28 2-6 3-4 1-10 1 5 7 Schrempf 34 2-11 1-2 0-6 2 2 6 McIlvaine 18 3-6 2-5 3-5 0 4 8 Hawkins 35 2-7 9-10 4-7 4 2 14 Payton 37 8-16 1-2 1-5 5 2 17 Perkins 24 4-6 0-0 0-4 1 0 10 McMillan 17 0-2 2-2 0-2 4 4 2 Cummings 22 7-9 3-5 1-5 2 2 17 Ehlo 17 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 Snow 4 0-2 1-2 1-3 0 1 1 Stewart 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 240 29-68 22-32 11-47 19 23 84

Percentages: FG .426, FT .688.

3-Point Goals: 4-19, .211 (Perkins 2-3, Schrempf 1-4, Hawkins 1-5, Ehlo 0-2, McMillan 0-2, Payton 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 4.

Blocked shots: 5 (McIlvaine 2, Hawkins, Payton, Stewart).

Turnovers: 18 (Kemp 4, Schrempf 3, Hawkins 3, Payton 3, Ehlo 2, Cummings, Snow, Stewart).

Steals: 16 (Payton 4, Cummings 4, Kemp 2, Hawkins 2, Ehlo 2, Schrempf, McIlvaine).

Technical fouls: Payton, 3:45 third; Illegal defense, 1:18 third.

Illegal defense: 1.

New York 17 18 18 11 - 64 Seattle 19 29 16 20 - 84

A-17,072 (17,072). T-2:16.