NEW YORK (AP) _ Allan Houston scored a season-high 37 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 96-88 victory Tuesday night over the Boston Celtics.

Houston finished just one point shy of his career-high set against Atlanta in 1996 when he still played for Detroit. Houston, who shot 12-for-18 from the field and 10-for-13 from the line, scored 14 in a fourth quarter in which the Knicks never trailed.

Latrell Sprewell added 16 points and Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson had 14 apiece to help the Knicks made up for a poor night from their bench _ a combined six points, including just two from the foul-plagued Marcus Camby.

Paul Pierce had 23 points and Kenny Anderson added 22 for the Celtics, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Antoine Walker shot 6-for-22 before fouling out in the final minute and then getting a technical foul for arguing. He had 13 points.

It was the ninth win in the last 12 games for the Knicks, who have beaten the Celtics 15 consecutive times at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks hit 10 of their first 13 shots to take an early double-digit lead, but Boston steadily chipped away behind 19 first-half points from Pierce and 15 from Anderson to take a 50-49 halftime lead.

It stayed tight throughout the third quarter, which ended with the Knicks holding a 72-71 lead after going ahead for good on a 16-foot jumper by Sprewell that made it 68-67 with 2:44 left in the quarter.

Houston hit four of New York's first six shots of the fourth quarter, a run that ended with a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up 85-79 with 5:28 left. The Celtics pulled within two, 85-83, before Houston hit another 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run that clinched it.

Notes: Houston eclipsed his previous season-high of 31. ... Anderson strained his left hamstring in the first half but later returned. ... The Knicks improved to 8-3 since Ewing returned from a partially torn Achilles tendon. ... Walker had scored at least 20 points in the previous seven games.