Knicks Beat 76ers for 5th Straight Win PHILADELPHIA - A storied N.B.A. rivalry, long dormant and coated over in cobwebs, rumbled back to life here on Wednesday night, with enough tension, tenacity and promise to last all the way into the spring. The Philadelphia 76ers are lording over the Atlantic Division, after years of misery. The Knicks are charging hard down the I-95 corridor, becoming a legitimate threat to the throne - and an ever-valuable top-four playoff seeding. The power shifted a bit late Wednesday, as Jeremy Lin scored the Knicks" final 8 points to secure an 82-79 victory. It was the Knicks" fifth straight win under their interim coach Mike Woodson, and most certainly the biggest of the bunch. The Knicks are now 23-24, just three games behind the 76ers (26-21) for the division lead. They also won the season series, 2-1. These teams will not meet again, a quirk of the N.B.A."s compressed post-lockout schedule - unless of course they meet in the playoffs, which is a distinct possibility. Lin led the Knicks in the fourth quarter and finished with 18 points, despite a horrible shooting night (4 for 17). Amar'e Stoudemire led the Knicks for the rest of the night, finishing with 21 points and 9 rebounds. "We still control our own destiny," Woodson said before tipoff, adding, "That's kind of what I'm pushing guys to understand, that anything can happen." At times, it looked and sounded like a home game for the Knicks, with patches of blue jerseys throughout the stands and chants of "deee-fense" when the 76ers had the ball. A chant of "air ball" greeted Jrue Holiday when he misfired on a late 3-pointer. But the building was packed, and loud, a major improvement after many years of 76er irrelevance. The loudest ovation was reserved for the actor and rapper Will Smith, who is part of the team's new ownership group. The 76ers trailed for the first 31 minutes, by as many as 12 points, but refused to fade away. Andre Iguodala finally gave them their first lead, 49-48, with a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, and the game remained tight for the rest of the evening. Stoudemire and Lin combined for an 8-0 run to take a 71-63 lead in the fourth. Moments later, the lead was down to 2 points, after Iguodala hit a 3-pointer and 1 of 2 free throws. When these teams last met, 10 days earlier, the Knicks were a muddled mess. The 76ers punished them that afternoon at Madison Square Garden, extending a losing streak that led to Mike D'Antoni's resignation. A different Knicks team swaggered out of the tunnel here Wednesday night. "We're playing with more confidence," Woodson said. We're playing harder. Our energy level has really been sky high. And defensively, we're defending like the Philly team has been defending all year. Amar'e Stoudemire, whose resurgence has been a huge part of the Knicks" turnaround - and simultaneously overshadowed by it - was energetic and demonstrative all night, leading the Knicks with 12 points in the first half. After powering through a crowd for a second-effort dunk, Stoudemire unleashed a primal yell and adjusted his goggles. He closed the half with another follow-up dunk, whooping and flexing as he landed as the Knicks took a 43-35 lead. It was a rough start for the Knicks" point guards. Lin missed eight of his nine shots in the half, while Baron Davis played sloppily in his first game back from a hamstring injury. Davis lost the ball to Elton Brand shortly after entering the game in the first quarter and had his shot blocked by Brand early in the second. But the Knicks" defense was at its suffocating best, turning the tables on the 76ers, who have been one of the N.B.A."s stingiest teams all season. The Knicks held Philadelphia scoreless for the first 5:41 of the game, and without a field goal for nearly 8 minutes. The 76ers were 0 for 14 when Brand finally connected on a 13-footer with 4:12 left in the first quarter. The 76ers scored just 11 points in the first quarter, the least by a Knicks opponent this season. Philadelphia scored the same number of points in a 3-minute surge in the second quarter, cutting the Knicks" lead from 12 points to 2. Brand keyed the 11-1 run with a pair of jumpers. But the Knicks absorbed the blow and answered with a 7-0 burst to keep the lead. Jared Jeffries injured his right knee early in the fourth quarter and did not return. The Knicks classified the injury as a sore knee and provided no further details, leaving it unclear whether it was related to the knee injury that caused Jeffries to recently miss four games. Jeffries had the knee drained two weeks ago. Jeffries came down awkwardly when Sam Young blocked his layup attempt. ...With Baron Davis back in the rotation, Mike Bibby will return to his former mop-up duty role. Bibby is a Woodson favorite, having played for him in Atlanta, but as Woodson said, "I can't play three point guards."