Gilbert Arenas

NEW YORK - Allan Houston tied his season high with 39 points to spark the New York Knicks to an 89-87 victory over the Washington Wizards last night. Kurt Thomas put aside his anger over losing his starting job and drew a key charging foul with 15.6 seconds left to aid the Knicks' cause. With the team running almost every play for him, Houston scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. His 23-footer with 18.1 seconds left broke an 84-all tie and gave New York the lead for good.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas' two big defensive plays probably didn't impress 100 million Chinese watching on TV. LeBron James, though, was blown away. Ilgauskas, Cleveland's 7-3 center, scored 14 points, added 12 rebounds and drew two offensive fouls as the Cavaliers clamped down defensively on visiting Memphis in last night's 89-70. "I can't remember the last time he took two charges in an entire season," James, who added 16 points, said of the lengthy Lithuanian. The game was telecast live in China, where James visited last summer and where his new sneaker line will be launched.

Rashard Lewis scored a career playoff-high 33 points and the Orlando Magic broke down the visiting Detroit Pistons' stout defense in a 111-86 victory last night. Detroit leads the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-1, but may have to play without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups. The Pistons lost Billups just 4 minutes into the game when he drove to the basket and got tangled with Orlando's Jameer Nelson. Billups, who was averaging 17.5 points in the postseason, suffered a strained right hamstring.

The kid from the local high school stole the show - and all LeBron James could do was watch. Earl Boykins, who grew up in Cleveland, scored all 18 of his points in the second half as Denver ruined James' hyped home debut last night, 93-89 over the winless Cavaliers (0-4). The 5-5 Boykins had 10 points in the third quarter as the Nuggets took control. Oh, and the James vs. Carmelo Anthony rivalry? Let's just say it needs some work. "I'm glad it's over," Anthony said. "I ain't seen this much media since the national championship game.

The Washington Post reported that NBA commissioner David Stern told Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards not to talk about Arenas' gun incident. Ever. Arenas, you'll remember, was suspended for 50 games after bringing firearms into the Wizards' locker room last season. He pleaded guilty to felony gun possession and was sentenced to 1 month in a halfway house and 2 years of probation. Arenas has yet to comment publicly. Now, it seems that Stern wants to keep it that way. Stern said he met with Arenas on Tuesday.

Shaquille O'Neal has some advice for former teammate Kobe Bryant when the rivals play against each other for the first time - stay out of the lane. "If you've got a Corvette that runs into a brick wall, you know what's going to happen," he said in a halftime interview on ABC's "Monday Night Football. " "He's a Corvette. I'm a brick wall. So you know what's going to happen. " O'Neal and his new team, the Miami Heat, play Bryant and the Lakers on Saturday in Los Angeles. The two feuded for most of his time there.

It has come to this in Cleveland: A television news helicopter hovers overhead yesterday as an armored truck with two guards accompanies a shipment of 10,000 LeBron James bobblehead dolls to Gund Arena. The LeBron dolls will be given away to the first 10,000 people who show up tomorrow for the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Gund Arena. The team sells five versions of James bobbleheads, but this is unique because only 10,000 will be given away. Two days before it's even available, the giveaway bobblehead is already drawing bids of nearly $30 on eBay, with collectibles experts anticipating the price to rise dramatically.

76ers Notes WASHINGTON - Technically, a new chapter of Thaddeus Young's career began Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards. Young, who did not sign a contract extension with the 76ers by Monday's 5 p.m. deadline, could become a restricted free agent as of July 1, 2011. Previously secure in his contract situation with the Sixers, Young now must consider how each performance affects his situation in the future. "I know at the end of the day these guys all want playing time so they can play well," said Sixers coach Doug Collins . "And the better they play, the more money they can make.

Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge yesterday, explaining he had a pistol because he feared teammate Gilbert Arenas would shoot him or blow up his car after the two argued over a card game. The hearing marked the first time authorities confirmed Crittenton was the other player involved in the confrontation with Arenas, who pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to a felony gun charge. D.C. Superior Court Senior Judge Bruce Beaudin sentenced Crittenton, 22, to a year of unsupervised probation after Crittenton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of an unregistered firearm.

The last-place and distracted Washington Wizards overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit last night, beating the Orlando Magic, 104-97, in the team's first game at the Verizon Center since Gilbert Arenas' indefinite suspension. Antawn Jamison, who took a microphone to address fans before the game, had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wizards. Jamison called the whole situation "very embarrassing" and told the sellout crowd that "being a positive role mode is something we don't take lightly.