Stoudemire's 25 not enough as Knicks lose fifth in row

Only 10 games into his Knicks career, Amar'e Stoudemire sounded as frustrated as if he'd been playing at the Garden for the last decade.

Stoudemire let his emotions surface last night after the Knicks' fifth straight defeat, a 104-96 loss to the Houston Rockets. The $100-million man scored 25 points, but the Knicks fell apart after taking a one-point lead with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

The Knicks fell to 3-7 on the eve of a four-game western swing that begins Tuesday night against Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets.

"It's definitely something I'm not accustomed to," Stoudemire said. "It's not fun. We have to do a much better job out there, collectively. We have to step it up. We can't keep doing the exact same thing every night. We've just got to find a way to grow up."

There was more:

"I don't understand why we're not playing with urgency. I'm not used to that. We're not playing like we're on a four-game losing streak, now five. We don't have that sense of urgency. It's not something I'm used to. I can't keep saying the exact same things . . . and having no reaction."

And more:

"Maybe a winning mentality has never been here. I'm not used to that. I'm used to winning. I'm used to talking about winning and having the confidence toward winning. You can't have guys complacent and comfortable with losing."

Finally:

"It's more attitude, more heart. We've got to show more heart, go after it. Loose balls, we've got to have those. Rebounds, we've got to get those. We've got to play with more physicality . . . This is something that's a foreign land for me right now."

The fourth quarter was like a trip into bad Knicks games of yesteryear. Missed layups. Not getting back on defense. Turnovers. Boos. Fans leaving early. The Knicks missed 10 straight shots and were 2-for-21 as the game slipped away.

"Somehow," coach Mike D'Antoni said, "we have to get over the insecurity or whatever it is that causes us to falter at crucial parts of the game."

Kevin Martin had 28 points and Luis Scola 24 as the Rockets, playing without the injured Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks, won their third in four games after an 0-5 start.

Even though the Rockets were without Yao - who is out with a sprained left ankle - on Asian Heritage Night, it didn't stop a bunch of Rockets fans from showing up. That was apparent just before game time when the word "Rockets" in the phrase "rockets' red glare" in the national anthem was cheered loudly.

The Knicks briefly took their first lead since early in the second quarter when Raymond Felton hit a three-pointer with 5:15 left in the third to make it 71-70. But the Rockets scored the next seven points and it was a six-point game again.

Ishmael Smith hit a jumper at the third-quarter buzzer to give Houston a 84-75 lead heading into the fourth. It swelled to as much as 19 in the final quarter.

The first boos came after Toney Douglas (1-for-11) missed a three-point attempt with 10:46 left. The Knicks didn't get back on defense, leading to an uncontested layup by Martin.

D'Antoni called timeout. After Felton missed a layup, Courtney Lee hit a three-pointer to give Houston an 89-75 advantage.

"We couldn't score the ball," said Stoudemire, who played 37:29 despite suffering a bruised thigh in the first quarter. "We have to find ways to score. It is tough when you have to work for every basket . . . You have to orchestrate some easy baskets so that guys can get in the rhythm. Right now, we have to work for every shot."