- Knicks 103, Bulls 92: So much for the Knicks' home-court woes. They beat Utah on Monday, squeaked by lowly Charlotte on Wednesday and tripped up streaking Chicago on Friday. A pair of ex-Bulls pitched in. Jamal Crawford netted 28, and Eddy Curry scored 20. Suddenly, New York's won three in a row. Last Saturday's brawl probably isn't as much to credit as people might think, but if that's the reason for their streak, the success won't last long. If the better play is because of something deeper, it'll last longer.
- Lakers 99, Nets 95: Things aren't going as well across the Hudson. Vince Carter's 33 points couldn't save the Nets, and Nenad Krstic hurt his left knee and will have an MRI on Saturday. Krstic is a valuable offensive force down low for a team whose other primary big man is Jason Collins, who managed one point in 30 minutes. The Nets will hold their breath.
- Devils 4, Capitals 1: Power-play goals again helped the Devils. They scored two of them -- and have scored at least one in each of the last five games -- as they cruised to a win at Washington. Travis Zajac and Zach Parise did the job Friday.
- Hurricanes 5, Islanders 1: Too bad the Islanders' penalty-kill unit isn't working as well as the Devils' power play. New York allowed four goals on the man-advantage and got smoked in Raleigh.
