Chris Duhon and Wilson Chandler each scored 17 points for the Knicks, who snapped a six-game losing streak. They finally broke through against an NBA power, having dropped all three on a homestand against the Lakers, Cavaliers and Celtics in the first week of February.
Tim Duncan had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, but fellow All-Star Tony Parker shot just 5-for-20 and finished with 14 for the Spurs. Roger Mason scored 20.
The Spurs were without Manu Ginobili, who was back in San Antonio getting further tests on his sore right ankle. It's not the same one the star reserve had surgery on last summer, forcing him to miss the first 12 games of the season, but coach Gregg Popovich acknowledged being concerned the pain didn't go away during the All-Star break.
They fell to 3-3 on their eight-game rodeo road trip, with two stops remaining. They've never finished with a losing record on it since moving to the AT&T Center in 2002.
In a game that was close throughout, neither team led by more than three in the fourth quarter. The Spurs had a chance to win it, but Duncan missed a bank shot just before time expired.
Robinson then snapped a 104-all tie with a jumper with 2:31 remaining, then sped downcourt to make a layup over Duncan for a 108-104 lead with 1:55 left. Al Harrington's drive gave New York a six-point lead 24 seconds later.
It was Robinson's third straight game leading the Knicks in scoring, with 30 or more points in all of them. He's still best known for his two slam dunk titles, the latter won Saturday when he donned a green uniform and called himself Krypto-Nate to knock off Howard, who wore a Superman cape for the second straight year.
Robinson will be a restricted free agent this summer, making this a perfect time to show he's more than just a showman.
There were nine lead changes and eight ties in the first half, which ended with the Knicks leading 57-56 after a video review showed Duncan's jumper came after time expired. Robinson had 14 points as the Knicks shot 54.5 percent.
The defenses picked up in the third quarter, with the teams combining to make just 14 of 40 shots. San Antonio had the last two buckets of the period to tie it at 77 heading to the fourth.
Notes: Since the Spurs played their final game before the break in Toronto, Popovich decided to skip flying back home to San Antonio in favor of a vacation in New York. He flew here Thursday and was having fun until the NBA schedule got in the way. "It's just great. Just by myself, wandering around. It was fantastic," he said. "Then got to play this game tonight. Could have gone to Broadway again, could have gone to dinner someplace." ... Johnson had 33 points, 17 assists, 15 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers against Denver on March 29, 1981, against Denver.
