Knicks still looking for shooting touch

Mike D'Antoni has come to the conclusion that he really doesn't need to search for a shooting guard to fill that gaping hole in his lineup. No, what the Knicks really need, he said, is "a making guard."

They could use one at forward, too.

The Knicks' abysmal shooting in the preseason continued last night in a 92-90 win over the Wizards at the Garden. The Knicks shot 40 percent from the field and haven't been over 42 percent against four NBA opponents in the preseason.

Danilo Gallinari, who appeared to finally break out of his shooting malaise in Saturday's loss to the Celtics, missed all seven of his shots against the Wizards and finished with one point and five rebounds in 21:59. Gallinari, who is shooting 33.9 percent from the field in five preseason games, is the most concerning of the misfiring Knicks, including veteran sharpshooter Roger Mason Jr. (1-for-3 in 9:12 last night and 26 percent from the field in preseason).

"I liked our shots, for the most part,'' D'Antoni said. "Most shots are good; they just aren't going in there. Hopefully, that will cure itself.''

For one night, it worked for Toney Douglas, who entered the game shooting 23.1 percent in the preseason and missed all seven of his shots against Boston Saturday night. Against the Wizards, he had 23 points and a 9-for-17 effort. Douglas hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to snap a tie at 90 and give the Knicks (2-3) their first preseason win against an NBA team. The other win came against Armani Jeans Milano of the Italian League.

Rookie Landry Fields (3-for-3) knocked down the most important attempt of the game, a 20-footer with 26.1 seconds left that tied the score at 90. The second-round pick from Stanford pump-faked his defender and stepped into the shot.

Fields has been impressive in the preseason - D'Antoni said he "just comes in and does everything good'' - and that could earn him rotation minutes when the regular season arrives.

Another rookie, John Wall, made his first NBA appearance at the Garden - we'll call it his Garden debut once it's the regular season - and the No. 1 pick showed off his lightning speed. Wall had 19 points and six assists in 34:37 for Washington.

Douglas was asked about Wall's speed and, considering his battles in practice last season with Nate Robinson, he wasn't overly impressed.

"He's fast,'' he said. When he was asked if Wall is faster than he is, he replied, "I don't know about that, but he's fast.''

Notes & quotes: Amar'e Stoudemire returned to the lineup after sitting out Saturday's game and had 18 points (7-for-16), seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 24 minutes . . . Bill Walker missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle . . . Gilbert Arenas was on the bench but did not play because of a right groin strain he suffered in Washington's previous game. Flip Saunders said Arenas likely will miss the Wizards' final preseason game.