CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Stephen Jackson scored 24 points and keyed a late comeback as the Charlotte Bobcats rallied to end the sloppy New York Knicks' season-high four-game winning streak, 94-87 on Tuesday night.
Gerald Wallace had 21 points and Raymond Felton scored 18, including two driving layups in Charlotte's game-closing 15-2 run to snap a two-game skid.
Despite a subpar game from ill leading scorer Al Harrington, the Knicks led by 12 late in the third quarter and 85-79 on Jared Jeffries' layup with 3:58 left.
New York managed one field goal the rest of the way and finished with 21 turnovers.
Chris Duhon had 18 points for the Knicks but struggled to defend Raymond Felton down the stretch. Wilson Chandler and David Lee had 16 points apiece.
The Knicks entered on their longest winning streak since they reeled off six straight in the 2005-06 season — one of the few bright spots in Bobcats coach Larry Brown's lone season in New York.
"I think back then and what the team is now, I think they're way ahead of the curve," Brown said before the game.
It didn't look like it early on – or in their late meltdown.
Flip Murray, who didn't play in Charlotte's overtime loss to Dallas Saturday after a streak of poor shooting, shot just 2-for-11 against New York. But his 3-pointer with 1:57 left tied it.
The Knicks then got sloppy, and Felton had consecutive drives past Duhon sandwiched between Chandler's hoop to put Charlotte up 89-87 with 39 seconds left.
Jackson's three-point play with 25.3 seconds left put it away, and Charlotte won despite committing 22 of the game's 43 turnovers.
Harrington was held to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting after being a game-time decision. Coach Mike D'Antoni said Harrington, averaging 20.1 points coming in, had a virus and was vomiting before tipoff.
Wallace took it to Harrington early, scoring 15 points in the first quarter by constantly beating the Knicks in transition after sloppy turnovers.
But Boris Diaw picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and Charlotte's shortage up front was exposed as Lee scored 10 points in the period to help the Knicks to a 47-46 lead.
It took Diaw less than a minute to pick up his fourth foul to start the second half. He sat out the rest of the third quarter, and the Knicks built as much as a 12-point lead on consecutive layups by Duhon.
Diaw was energized early in the fourth quarter and New York couldn't hold on. Frustrated, D'Antoni could only watch as New York lost its fourth straight game to Charlotte.
Notes
G Nate Robinson didn't play for the sixth straight game as he remains on D'Antoni's bad side. "Nate is a highly competitive kid. He does some silly things sometimes but it's not to hurt anybody," said Brown, who coached him in New York. … Knicks C Eddy Curry had two points and one rebound in 6 minutes in his second game after an eight-game break to rest his sore knee. … Knicks F Jonathan Bender was inactive two days after he was signed. … The Bobcats held a 42-35 edge on the boards.