CHICAGO (AP) -- The moment Antonio Davis dashed up into the

stands, everyone was thinking the same thing: another NBA brawl.

Yet this was different. Concerned his wife was in trouble, the

New York Knicks forward reached her in the seats but remained calm,

never took a swing at anybody and willingly walked away when

security arrived.

Still the scene evoked memories of last season's brawl between

fans and Pacers players in Detroit and overshadowed a thrilling

finish to a wild game.

Ben Gordon hit a jumper at the buzzer and scored 32 points

Wednesday night to give the Chicago Bulls a 106-104 overtime

victory over the Knicks.

Davis later explained why he climbed into the seats during a

timeout in overtime.

"I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that I learned

later to be intoxicated," Davis said in a statement issued after

the game. "I saw him touch her, and I know I should not have acted

the way I did, but I would have felt terrible if I didn't react.

There was no time to call security. It happened too quickly."

Davis ascended about 10 rows of seats to reach his wife. There

was no physical confrontation after he got there, but several

people were pointing and shouting for a few moments before security

arrived.

Davis, president of the NBA players' association, returned to

the bench and took his seat before being ejected with 1:04 left.

United Center security remained in the stands for a few minutes

more, where other fans appeared to be explaining what they had

seen. Guards in suits and yellow jackets then 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."

Brown was coaching the Pistons during the November 2004 brawl in

Detroit. A black eye for the NBA, the fight 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."

No arrests had been made as of late Wednesday night, police

said.

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.

New York's Maurice Taylor and Chicago's Chris Duhon also were

ejected after a scuffle 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."

A few minutes before Davis went into the stands, Taylor ran

across the lane and knocked down Duhon, who got up and shoved

Taylor. That resulted in a double technical, and the two were soon

ejected.

"He set a screen on me," Taylor said. "I got the foul. It's

basketball. Whatever he wanted to do after that was to his

judgment."

Duhon called it a "cheap shot."

"I don't think he made any basketball move to get around me,"

he 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.

Gordon, who grew up just north of New York City in Mount Vernon,

also beat the Knicks with a buzzer-beater at Madison Square Garden

last season on Martin Luther King Day.

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.

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.