Wheels Come Off for Knicks Against Rockets HOUSTON - Down one All-Star, with no reliable playmaker, a bruised and bedraggled lineup and the losses piling up, the Knicks were left Saturday to a mission best described as hunting and pecking. Those were Coach Mike D'Antoni's words before tip-off, when he was discussing the Knicks" rotating door at point guard. But it soon applied to the entire rotation as the Knicks dragged through their fourth road game in five nights, in search of anyone who could score or provide some energy on the final night of this trip. Jeremy Lin, the seldom-used point guard, played critical minutes for the first time, in a three-guard alignment in the third quarter. Lin, Renaldo Balkman and Steve Novak - all end-of-the-bench players - started the fourth quarter. All the hunting and pecking went for naught, as the Knicks absorbed a 97-84 rout by the Houston Rockets to conclude a 1-3 trip. They have lost nine of their last 10 games, the last two without the injured Carmelo Anthony, to fall to 7-13. The game was lost in the third quarter, when the Knicks scored only 14 points and fell behind by double digits. Houston (12-8) pushed the lead to 20 points early in the fourth quarter against that awkward lineup featuring Lin, Balkman and Novak alongside Amar'e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. The game was a reflection of the Knicks" lack of depth, as well as the expected fatigue of a difficult trip. Anthony missed his second straight game to rest ankle, wrist and thumb injuries. The Rockets were also missing their leading scorer, Kevin Martin, who was resting a sore foot. But Houston got huge bench performances from Chase Budinger (19 points), Goran Dragic (16 points) and Jordan Hill, the former Knicks draft pick, who added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Stoudemire continued to find his stride, finishing with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while shooting 10 for 20 from the field. Otherwise, Tyson Chandler was the only other Knick who brought any consistent effort. Chandler had 14 points and 11 rebounds and was the Knicks" most animated player, whether keeping possessions alive or barking at the officials. He picked up a technical foul at the end of the third quarter for complaining about a non-call on his desperation shot at the buzzer. On the play, Chandler picked up a loose ball on defense and led a one-man fast break with time running down, but he tripped over Samuel Dalembert, who had fallen on the court, just as he released his shot. Stoudemire had 14 points by halftime, and it was the way he got them that was most encouraging for the Knicks. His midrange jumper looked sharp again, and he was active around the basket. Shumpert was the only other Knick to finish the game in double figures, with 11 points. Toney Douglas made his second straight start at point guard - a reflection both of his improved play and Shumpert's recent struggles. Shumpert's production has waned as the bumps and bruises have accumulated, and he is not showing quite the same swagger that he did in early January. "This is probably the most banged up I've ever been during the season," Shumpert said before the game. I don't usually get hurt much. I expected it. So now you just got to play through it. It's all part of being a rookie, just getting your body used to it. As if to illustrate the point, Shumpert had wires attached to his left knee as he spoke. He has been receiving electrical simulation before the last several games to deal with inflammation below the knee. Shumpert missed four games earlier in the season because of a sprained right knee. On Friday in Miami, he twisted an ankle while stripping LeBron James. A few weeks ago, Shumpert supplanted Douglas as the starting point guard and was emerging as the Knicks" fourth star. Now he is reacclimating to a reserve role and spending more time at shooting guard, where he has less playmaking responsibility. D'Antoni attributed Shumpert's struggles to a combination of injuries, fatigue "and having everything thrown at him so fast" - including the point guard job, which might have been too much for a rookie who did not have the benefit of summer league and a full training camp. "There's just a lot of factors that can go in and weigh you down a little bit," D'Antoni said. And I do think some of the brilliance of his athleticism has worn off a little bit. So he's got to get it back. Baron Davis probably will not make his Knicks debut for another week or two, according to people familiar with his rehabilitation. Davis, who is recovering from a herniated disk, is considered physically sound, but he is still working his way back into basketball shape after nine months of relative inactivity. He only began practicing last Monday.