NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Knicks held on to give Larry Brown another tough night at Madison Square Garden.

Zach Randolph had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Nate Robinson scored all of his 24 points in the first half, and the Knicks ruined their old coach’s first game back in New York with a 101-98 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

Wilson Chandler added 18 points and Jamal Crawford had 14 of his 16 in the second half for the Knicks, who bounced back after poor offensive performances in consecutive losses.

Raymond Felton scored 18 points and Jason Richardson had 17 for the Bobcats, who showed more fight for Brown than the Knicks often did. Emeka Okafor finished with 16 points and 15 boards, but Charlotte dropped its second straight and fell to 1-3 under its new coach.

AP-ES-11-05-08 2205EST