KNICKS 99, CLIPPERS 93: J.R. Smith led six players in double figures with 21 points as host New York stayed in line for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference while dropping Los Angeles into fifth place in the West.

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and Steve Novak hit four 3-pointers en route to 14 points off the bench for the Knicks (35-30), who remain tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 7 spot with one game left. New York owns the tiebreaker.

The Clippers sat Chris Paul due to a minor groin injury, choosing health instead of an all-out push for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Los Angeles slipped one-half game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 4 spot.

The Knicks led by as much as 18 points, 90-72, with 7:24 left in the game before the Clippers made a strong comeback. Blake Griffin scored 11 points in the next seven minutes and Randy Foye added five to draw as close as 94-93 with 52 seconds left.

But Smith buried a 19-footer and Novak stole a pass, leading to two more free throws for Smith with 23.5 seconds left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Griffin collected 29 points and 10 rebounds and Randy Foye scored 28 points to lead the Clippers. … The Knicks will start the playoffs at Miami if they can hold off Philadelphia for the No. 7 seed. If not, they will head to Chicago. New York closes the regular season at Charlotte on Thursday. … Los Angeles, which owns the tiebreaker over Memphis, is done with its regular season slate. The Grizzlies wrap things up in Orlando.