National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New York 99, L.A. Clippers 93
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #77 Karl Lane, #38 Michael Smith
Attendance: 19763

KNICKS 99, CLIPPERS 93: J.R. Smith led six players in double figures with 21 points as host New York stayed in line for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference while dropping Los Angeles into fifth place in the West.

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and Steve Novak hit four 3-pointers en route to 14 points off the bench for the Knicks (35-30), who remain tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 7 spot with one game left. New York owns the tiebreaker.

The Clippers sat Chris Paul due to a minor groin injury, choosing health instead of an all-out push for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Los Angeles slipped one-half game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 4 spot.

The Knicks led by as much as 18 points, 90-72, with 7:24 left in the game before the Clippers made a strong comeback. Blake Griffin scored 11 points in the next seven minutes and Randy Foye added five to draw as close as 94-93 with 52 seconds left.

But Smith buried a 19-footer and Novak stole a pass, leading to two more free throws for Smith with 23.5 seconds left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Griffin collected 29 points and 10 rebounds and Randy Foye scored 28 points to lead the Clippers. … The Knicks will start the playoffs at Miami if they can hold off Philadelphia for the No. 7 seed. If not, they will head to Chicago. New York closes the regular season at Charlotte on Thursday. … Los Angeles, which owns the tiebreaker over Memphis, is done with its regular season slate. The Grizzlies wrap things up in Orlando.
Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Clippers   New York
Blake Griffin 29 Scoring JR Smith 21
Blake Griffin 6 Assists Mike Bibby 5
Blake Griffin 10 Rebounds Iman Shumpert 7
Blake Griffin 7 Free Throws Made Tyson Chandler 7
Randy Foye 3 Steals JR Smith 4
Eric Bledsoe 1 Blocks Tyson Chandler 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Clippers 93 48.6 11-25 14-25 19 40 3 6 14
New York 99 46.8 9-24 18-24 18 36 2 9 8
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Charlotte. The Knicks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Clippers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.