By The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Latrell Sprewell returned to the starting lineup and scored 23 points, helping the New York Knicks defeat the Detroit Pistons 94-91 Monday night despite nearly blowing a 32-point lead.

Allan Houston also scored 23 for the Knicks, who won for the second time this season - but just barely.

Detroit trailed by 22 when the fourth quarter began but pulled within one with 9.6 seconds left. Sprewell hit a pair of free throws with 4.7 seconds to go, and Ben Wallace threw away the ensuing inbounds pass to deprive Detroit of a chance to tie.

Wallace grabbed 19 of his 21 rebounds in the second half, thriving on the boards as the Knicks suddenly found themselves unable to make a shot. New York was just 2-for-18 from the field in the fourth, with Sprewell going 0-for-4.

Improving to 2-8, the Knicks avoided having the worst record after 10 games in franchise history.

Richard Hamilton scored 31 for the Pistons, who lost starting point guard Chauncey Billups to an ankle injury.

Nets 99, Nuggets 79

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Jason Kidd hit five straight shots and scored 13 of his 24 points in the first quarter to lead New Jersey over woeful Denver.

Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles added 15 points apiece and the Nets forced 28 turnovers in handing the Nuggets their fourth straight loss.

New Jersey led by 15 after the first quarter, 26 at the half and 35 after three periods.

Kenny Satterfield scored 15 points to lead the Nuggets, who have five rookies on their roster - the second-youngest in the league.

Hawks 117, Raptors 92

ATLANTA - Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 27 points and Atlanta routed Toronto after building a 29-point lead at halftime.

Abdur-Rahim scored 15 points in the opening quarter and watched the final period from the bench as the Hawks got some lesser-used players on the court. He has averaged 28 points over the past four games, the last three being Atlanta victories.

The Hawks scored 15 baskets off dunks, layups and tips in the first half, leading to an astonishing 38-8 edge on points in the lane. The Hawks also outrebounded the Raptors 29-11 and scored 25 points off turnovers.

Spurs 104, Cavaliers 78

SAN ANTONIO - Tim Duncan scored 25 points to lead San Antonio over Cleveland, the Cavaliers' seventh straight loss.

San Antonio, which beat Cleveland for the second time in three days, had five players in double figures. Stephen Jackson added 18 points, while Steve Smith and Kevin Willis scored 12 apiece.

The Spurs stretched the advantage to as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland was led by Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who scored 25 points. Ricky Davis added 19.

Clippers 99, Warriors 89

OAKLAND, Calif. - Michael Olowokandi had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Elton Brand scored 17 points as Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Golden State.

Olowokandi scored 20 points after halftime as the Clippers easily held off the inept Warriors, who regressed dramatically from the form they showed in a 135-92 victory over Orlando on Saturday night - the franchise's biggest win in nearly nine years.

Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Clippers improved the poor defense that caused their 3-7 start, holding Golden State under 35 percent shooting. Corey Maggette added 16 points as Los Angeles took a 19-point lead in the third quarter and maintained a double-digit margin in the fourth.

Antawn Jamison scored 26 points, and Erick Dampier had 17 rebounds as Golden State lost for the ninth time in 11 games to remain last in the Pacific Division.