Quentin Richardson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Corey Maggette scored 25 as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat the New York Knicks 112-110.

"We've had many games like this," said Knicks coach Don Chaney, whose team avoided dropping into last place in the Atlantic Division only because the Miami Heat lost to Atlanta.

Jeff McInnis added 19 and Elton Brand 17 for the Clippers, who used a 41-13 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to turn a 75-57 deficit into a 98-88 lead.

The Knicks rallied back within two as the Clippers missed three of eight foul shots in the final 21 seconds, but Allan Houston missed a running jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it.

Houston scored 40 for the Knicks, who lost their third in a row.

Houston scored 17 of New York's 28 fourth-quarter points, but the Knicks were undone by their slow feet on defense, their lack of height on offense and their lack of belief in themselves.

Layden has been working hard trying to engineer a trade, but very few teams have interest in many of the Knicks' high-salaried, underachieving players.

"We're not going to win a shootout. that's not the way we're made," Knicks guard Mark Jackson said. "Wen allowed them to get their rhythm, they started strutting themselves like a bunch of young guys, which they are. We created the monster and we paid the price."

The Clippers seemed lethargic and disinterested through the first half and into the second, but they were an enthusiastic bunch down the stretch. When the home crowd wasn't booing the home team in the fourth, they were gasping at the shooting of Richardson and the explosiveness of Darius Miles.

Miles went around Clarence Weatherspoon for a pair of spectacular drives, the last of which gave Los Angeles a 106-97 lead with 1:58 left.

New York rallied behind 3-pointers by Shandon Anderson and Latrell Sprewell and trailed 108-105 after Maggette missed one of two free throws with 21 seconds left. Houston hit a pair of foul shots with 16.6 seconds left to make it a one-point game, and McInnis made only one of two with 13.9 left.

With a chance to go for the tie or the win, the Knicks inbounded to Houston for a quick 3-pointer from well behind the arc. The shot missed and Brand was fouled after grabbing the rebound. He made both for a 111-107 lead.

Houston quickly made a 3-pointer, and Richardson was fouled with 3.5 seconds left. He missed the first and made the second, and the Knicks -- despite having no timeouts -- pushed the ball upcourt for a decent attempt by Houston that would not fall.

"If you can come in here with young guys like we have and win, then I think it means an awful lot," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said.

Something started to click for the Clippers, who improved to 6-17 on the road, after Jackson hit a short turnaround to give the Knicks a 75-57 lead with 4:33 left.

McInnis hit a 3-pointer, Richardson had a tip-in and a 21-footer and McInnis scored on a drive to cut the deficit to seven, 81-74.

The Knicks led 82-76 entering the fourth, but it wasn't long before the Clippers caught and passed them with stunning ease.

Maggette hit four foul shots and Richardson hit a 3 in a 9-0 run that tied it at 85-85, and Richardson had seven points -- including another 3 and a nifty reverse layup -- in a subsequent 13-1 run that gave Los Angeles a 98-88 lead with 5:32 left.

Miles put a devastating crossover move on Clarence Weatherspoon for a slam dunk that made it 100-90 with 4:53 left. The Knicks had their next two shots blocked -- the Clippers had six blocks in the final quarter -- before Sprewell and Thomas turned the ball over on the next two possessions.

"We never give up," Brand said. "We've had some games like this, just not on the road."

Game Notes
Brand, who believes he should have been chosen for the All-Star team, said he would accept an invitation to play if any of the 12 current All-Stars is unable to because of an injury. ... The Knicks activated center Travis Knight, who had arthroscopic surgery after bruising his knee Jan. 8 against Houston. The Knicks had an open spot on their active roster after placing Marcus Camby on the injured list Sunday.