NEW YORK, March 1 (Ticker) -- The New York Knicks tried their best but could not give away another double-digit lead.

Howard Eisley scored 14 points and led a second-half surge and the Knicks barely held on for an 89-87 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics that snapped a six-game losing streak.

"It felt good to get in and contribute and help the team get the win," said Eisley, who also had eight assists. "We've been struggling a little bit lately. Guys have been playing hard. We just have trouble closing out games."

The Knicks actually erased a 12-point third-quarter deficit and took the lead for good with a 19-6 run that opened the fourth quarter. Eisley scored six points in the surge.

NBA TV highlights from Sonics-Knicks: 56k | 300k Allan Houston led five Knicks in double figures with a 22-point effort. Nathaniel S. Butler NBAE/Getty Images

"I thought he did an excellent job of reading the defense off the dribble," Knicks coach Don Chaney said. "I like what Howard did today. If he plays that way continually, I'll keep him in the rotation."

Seeing increased playing time of late, Eisley made four free throws to keep the lead at 87-79 with 37 seconds to play before Seattle, riding an eight-game road winning streak, tried to rally.

Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis made 3-pointers around a foul shot by Allan Houston as the Knicks got lost on defense. After Lewis' 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left, the SuperSonics fouled Othella Harrington, who made 1-of-2 from the line with 3.7 seconds to go.

With Seattle out of timeouts, Payton dribbled quickly upcourt but missed badly on a potential game-winning 3-pointer.

"I was trying took for everybody else," Payton said "I didn't get a good look at it. I should have taken my time, but I didn't. It shouldn't really have come to that. We didn't play well in the second half."

"I think it was real good that we closed out the game," Eisley said. "We got a little scared there for a minute, but we got the win."

Houston scored 22 points and Latrell Sprewell added 17 for the Knicks, who shot 51 percent (37-of-73) from the field and also got some help from their beleaguered frontcourt. Kurt Thomas had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Harrington scored 10 points.

"We had a guy to go to in the end and that was Othella," Chaney said. "We finally had a guy to go to in the low post and not have to lean on Allan or Sprewell to make pressure shots."

Lewis scored 22 points and Payton added 21 for Seattle, which had matched the second-longest road winning streak in club history. That one, in the 1997-98 season, also ended in New York.

"We've been very consistent on the road and we had a good streak going," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "But you can't win when you're not shooting the ball and not playing defense. Our rotations were slow all night and the Knicks were the more aggressive team."

Brent Barry had 17 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists for the Sonics, who shot under 39 percent (32-of-83).

The Sonics led 45-39 at halftime and two free throws by Lewis made it 60-48 midway through the third quarter before the Knicks came back. A jumper by Eisley with 7.8 seconds to go capped a 13-4 run and cut the deficit to 64-61 entering the final period.

"I thought we shared the ball better and we got the shots that we wanted to get," Chaney said. "I thought Howard Eisley did a very good job of running the offense. I thought he did an excellent job in getting the ball to the right people. Our spacing was a lot better, too."

"He tried to make us better," Houston said. "He just lets his play come. I don't think he makes his mind up on what he's going to do. He just takes what the defense gave him. The more he plays, the more aggressive he will be. He was solid."

Sprewell's 3-pointer capped the fourth-quarter surge and made it 80-70 with 5:34 remaining.

"Bottom line is that they do have good players," McMillan said. "Those guys are very capable of beating you and getting it together."

The Sonics are 3-1 on their road trip, which ends in Memphis.