Even with Kobe Bryant banned from the arena, the Knicks knew not to expect an easy game.

The Lakers certainly didn't give them one.

The Knicks held off a late rally Tuesday night, handing the Lakers their season-high third straight loss with a 99-94 victory.

Bryant was suspended one game without pay earlier Tuesday for hitting San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the face late in the Lakers' loss to the Spurs on Sunday.

But the Knicks, who last week lost at Miami in a game both Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal missed, knew not to take Los Angeles lightly.

"You're never going to blow them out," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "They're a team with a great coach who understands how to manipulate a game and keep his team close, and they've got good shooters.

Kobe Bryant requested an "immediate hearing" with the NBA office to discuss the one-game suspension he was given earlier Tuesday for striking San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the face.

Bryant was to miss Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks, leaving the Lakers without their leading scorer when they opened an eight-game road trip.

However, since Bryant was already in New York, he was still hoping for a chance to play.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended one game without pay for striking San Antonio Spurs guard Manu  Ginobili in the face, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred on Sunday, Jan. 28 with 2.7 remaining in the fourth period of the Lakers 96-94 (OT) loss to the Spurs at Staples Center.  Bryant will serve his suspension tonight when the Lakers play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Battling knee tendinitis, Knicks' guard Steve Francis said he's still two weeks away from suiting up, but no one knows if he'll make it back into the backcourt rotation. That is, unless Marbury's same ailment flares up and forces him to miss more games.

When asked Francis' future role, Isiah Thomas said, "We'll see."

Steve Francis was back with the Knicks on Monday.

?We knew he was coming back,? Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said this afternoon when practice was finally over. ?He practiced a little bit today. We?ll just see where it goes from here.?

The swelling in Francis' knee has subsided and could be ready to play in two weeks.

?It?s hard when people assume so many different things,? Francis said. ?When you?re injured, you?re injured. That?s what it is. You can?t really go out there and perform to your capabilities if you?re injured. I?m not saying people don?t believe me, but they haven?t really given me a chance.?

?That was never mentioned,? Francis said about the rumors of a buyout. ?I don?t know where that came from.?

With Jamal Crawford in a torrid shooting zone and Eddy Curry thinking he'll be back today against the Bucks, Jared Jeffries will be the odd-man in the Knicks' starting lineup.

"It's feeling a lot better," Curry said yesterday. "It's definitely looking like I'm going to play, but I'll see what happens."

When Isiah Thomas was asked about Crawford going back to his usual bench role, he said, "Not after (scoring) 52."

New York's 116-96 thumping of Miami, which included 52 points by Jamal Crawford, dropped the Heat to 19-24, but the way Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade talked afterward at their lockers, it seems as if the defending champs are teetering on the edge of a full-blown crisis.

"I'm getting sick and tired of this ---. I've never been five games under .500 in my career. It's embarrassing," said O'Neal. "Now that I'm back, I guess I've got to get on some guys' (cases). I guess I've got to be the ugly man to get it done."

The 7-1 big man did not name Heat players he thought were slacking, but said his team was in a "funk" and that it was his "job as a leader to make sure everyone gets back on track."

Wade also was clearly irked about the team's slumping ways.

"I'm not a motivator. I've never been," Wade said. "Everybody's looking for me to come in and make a speech. It's not going to happen, man. I just try to go out there and play and hopefully my play speaks for itself.

"Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror. Everyone's got to come in on both ends of the floor and play hard - have some pride about it. Something's gotta change. I'll leave it up to y'all's imagination."

Jamal Crawford scored 52 points on Friday night, including 16 straight field goals at one point, to give the Knicks a 116-96 victory over the defending World Champion Miami Heat.

Crawford's 52 points was a career high.

For only the sixth time in the history of NBA All-Star Saturday Night, all of the reigning champions will defend their crowns.

Next month, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat (PlayStation? Skills Challenge), Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks (Sprite Slam Dunk), Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks (Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout) and Team San Antonio (Haier Shooting Stars) will each look to repeat in Las Vegas.

Eddy Curry appears unlikely to play in Friday's game against Miami.

"It really [stinks], especially after the first half [I was having]. I'm in a good groove, I get to go against Shaq, I'm feeling great, and then this happens," said Curry, who left the 112-107 loss to the Suns with 10:40 to play. "It's tough, but I'm still feeling good. Hopefully the pain goes away and I can play.

"It's frustrating to be injured, period. I just hope I can hurry up and get through it. [But] when it first happened, the first thing I'm thinking is 10-20 games, it felt so bad. Once the adrenaline wore off and I got to the locker room [and] iced it up, it felt a lot better."

During Thursday's TNT telecast, Charles Barkley stated that Curry deserves to make the All-Star team.