Final Score: New York 97, Orlando 94

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Eddy Curry had 27 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Crawford had 21 points as the New York Knicks held on for a 97-94 victory against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden.

Channing Frye added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, who ended a six-game losing streak after nearly blowing a 25-point second-half lead and a 20-point fourth-quarter advantage.

Steve Francis had 36 points to lead the Magic, who had a five-game winning streak come to a halt. Hedo Turkoglu added 16 points and Dwight Howard had 10 points and 14 boards for Orlando, which got off to a slow start before picking it up in the fourth.

The Knicks started to build a lead in the first quarter. With the game tied at 12-12, New York scored six of the next seven points to forge ahead 18-13.

Then, leading just 19-17, the Knicks bridged the first two quarters with a 20-6 run to grab control. Curry scored the first four points of the surge, helping New York go ahead 27-19 after one quarter, then scored the final three points of the run, which gave the Knicks a 39-23 cushion nearly five minutes into the stanza.

New York later scored the final 12 points of the half to go ahead 54-33 going into the break.

The Knicks kept the Magic at bay throughout the third, leading by as many as 25 points, 39-23, and then coasting into the fourth with a 76-58 advantage.

Orlando made things interesting in the fourth. After Frye gave the Knicks a 78-58 cushion, the Magic ran off 11 straight points to get within single figures. Travis Diener's three-pointer with 7:45 left capped the run and made it a 78-69 game.

Later, Francis capped a 10-0 burst with a three-pointer to draw the Magic within 83-79 with just 3:08 on the clock.

After the teams exchanged points, Frye hit a clutch jumper with 1:52 remaining to increase the lead to six points, 89-83. Then, Stephon Marbury forced Francis to lose the ball out of bounds 20 seconds later and Curry hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession as New York went ahead 91-83 with 1:13 left.

Orlando later drew within two points, 93-91, on a Francis dunk with 17 seconds left, but the Knicks hit five of their six free throws in the waning seconds to secure the game.

"We got too far behind in the first half," said Francis. "We didn't have enough energy in the first half to keep up with those guys. They played a good game and they beat us."

Marbury had just eight points and seven assists for the Knicks, who defeated the Magic for the first time in three meetings this season. The win also ended a three-game slide to Orlando.

"Steph's a real warrior," said Crawford of Marbury. "He's our leader we need him out there. Even if he is not scoring he's doing something to help us win.

Game Notes

Orlando's Jameer Nelson missed the game with a foot sprain and Grant Hill was out with effects from his sports hernia...New York is just 2-4 over the last two seasons against the Magic...New York's Antonio Davis served the fourth game of his five-game league imposed suspension for entering the stands in a game against Chicago on January 18...DeShawn Stevenson had 10 points for the Magic, who had a two-game road win streak end...New York finished a four-game homestand 1-3...This was the Knicks' first win since head coach Larry Brown won his 1,000th game in the NBA on January 13.

01/27 23:53:09 ET