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Antonio Davis comes back on to the court after entering the stands to confront some fans.
Knicks forward Antonio Davis climbed into the stands out of concern for his wife and was ejected without further trouble Wednesday night during the Chicago Bulls' 106-104 overtime victory against New York.
Ben Gordon hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer and scored 32 points for the Bulls, but Davis' dash over the scorer's table and into the stands during a timeout in overtime -- evoking memories of last season's brawl in Detroit -- became the flash point of an already wild game.
"I saw my wife being threatened," Davis said in a statement released immediately after the game. "I felt I had to act. I did not have enough time to alert security."
Davis did not elaborate on why he ascended about 10 rows of seats to reach his wife in the stands. There was no physical confrontation after he got there, but several people were pointing and shouting for a few moments before security arrived and Davis was ejected.
United Center security later escorted a group of people from the area.
Knicks coach Larry Brown said Davis went into the stands because he saw his wife "falling back," but didn't explain further.
Brown was coaching the Pistons in November 2004 when an ugly fight broke out in the stands between fans and Indiana Pacers players during a Detroit home game. A black eye for the NBA, the brawl led to criminal charges and lengthy suspensions for Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson.
But Brown was adamant that this situation should be viewed differently.
"Come on, that's his wife," Brown said. "That's entirely different. I was worried about Kendra. That's why he went in the stands, he saw her falling back.
"That thing that happened in the stands had nothing to do with the two teams. That's a man concerned about his family."
Gordon hit his winning shot after New York's Jamal Crawford tied it at 104 with a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left. After a timeout, Gordon caught the inbounds pass near the top of the key and hit a jumper over Trevor Ariza, bringing a wild game to an end.
New York's Maurice Taylor and Chicago's Chris Duhon also were ejected after an altercation in overtime, a few minutes before Davis went into the stands.
"He took care of family first," Taylor said. "He's got his wife and young kids up there."
Asked about Davis' demeanor in the locker room after the game, Taylor said: "He was upset, but he was clear headed. Everyone watches where their family is."
Taylor said Davis told him it looked as if his wife was involved in some kind of altercation in the stands, but wasn't sure what it was about.
"He didn't know what was going on, he just knew something was going on," Taylor said.
Gordon hit 14 of 28 shots, none bigger than the last one. He missed a shot at the end of regulation, but converted in overtime after taking the inbounds pass from Kirk Hinrich.
Hinrich finished with 18 points, eight assists, eight rebounds and three steals, while Andres Nocioni and Darius Songaila scored 14 apiece.
Crawford led the Knicks with 19 points, while Quentin Richardson added 17. Stephon Marbury sat out with a sprained left shoulder, ending a streak of 280 consecutive games played.
Davis, who used to play for the Bulls, had 16 points and nine rebounds, but Eddy Curry struggled in his homecoming. He finished with 11 points and four rebounds in his first game against Chicago and missed the final seven-plus minutes of regulation after colliding with Gordon.
Curry's return was overshadowed by what happened in overtime.
First, Taylor ran across the lane and knocked down Duhon, who got up and shoved Taylor, resulting in a double technical. Davis was ejected with 1:04 left.
The Bulls were ahead 102-99 after Songaila hit two free throws with 51.1 seconds left in overtime. Crawford went 2-of-3 from the line after being fouled by Andres Nocioni to make it a one-point game. After Nocioni converted two foul shots with 8.3 seconds left, Crawford's 3 tied it at 104.
Game notes
Artest, Jackson, O'Neal and teammates Anthony Johnson and David Harrison were sentenced to a year of probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault charges stemming from the fight at The Palace of Auburn Hills. They also were ordered to perform community service and pay fines. ... Marbury injured his shoulder during the fourth quarter of Monday's loss to Minnesota, and is unsure when he'll return.
Source: ESPN.com