Crawford, Duhon Help Knicks Notch First Road Win

Jamal Crawford scored 23 points, Zach Randolph had his third straight double-double and the Knicks made a season-high 13 three-pointers to move above .500 with a 114-108 win over the Wizards at the Verizon Center.

The Knicks took advantage of several high-percentage shot opportunities created by point guard Chris Duhon and went 46-for-90 from the field, including 13-of-32 from downtown.

“We passed up good shots for great shots,” Crawford said.

Duhon dished out 12 assists and did not commit any turnovers, as New York finished with 36 assists and only turned the ball over 10 times.

“I just thought the ball is moving better now,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We have guys with individual talents, which we have a lot -- Jamal, Zach, Nate and Wilson -- and their talents come out.”

Randolph had 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Nate Robinson and Wilson Chandler, who started in place of David Lee for defensive purposes, had 17 and four apiece.

The Knicks led by as many as 13 early in the third quarter, but the Wizards kept chopping away at the deficit and took a one-point lead on a Caron Butler layup with 4:57 remaining in regulation. New York responded with a 10-0 burst and held on the rest of the way.

“I would like them to just go ahead and take the lead and keep it, but they tend to hit a little bit of a dry spell and then pick up their offense,” D’Antoni said. “They keep battling, but we’ll still have to learn how to win.”

Butler scored a game-high 30 and Antawn Jamison had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, which dropped to 0-4 despite shooting 51.7 percent from the field.

“We knew they were going to come out and play a good game because they were desperate for a win tonight,” David Lee said. “We knew this was going to be a tough one from the start and we were able to go out and get a victory tonight and that’s important."

The Knicks spread the floor early and hit several uncontested jumpers to build a 10-point lead late in the first quarter, but went scoreless in the final 3:13 and watched the Wizards close the period with nine unanswered points.

After falling behind by one, Robinson was once again unstoppable early in the second quarter. He ignited a 12-2 run with five straight points, and was complemented by the impressive shooting of Crawford, who ended the half with eight points in the final 1:19.

The Knicks shot 54 percent from the field and 56 percent from 3-point range as they held off a late push from Washington to finish their best offensive half of the young season with a 64-58 advantage.

New York will host the unbeaten Utah Jazz on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Notes: The Knicks announced Friday that Allan Houston has been named Assistant to the President for Basketball Operations. … Lee scored 13 off the bench. He was replaced by Chandler in the starting lineup for defensive purposes, but D’Antoni said Lee will likely start against Utah’s frontline of Boozer and Okur on Sunday.