An angry Zach Randolph denied he's held Eddy Curry back this season and believes the two can still play together.

Despite the Knicks looking like a more cohesive unit without Randolph in their tight battle in San Antonio, Isiah Thomas played it safe and returned the controversial power forward back into the starting lineup last night vs. the Rockets. It didn't work as the Knicks got off to a 20-9 deficit before Randolph was removed. Randolph had six turnovers but posted 18 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in the 103-91 loss.

"Eddy can play like [he did in San Antonio] every night," Randolph said. "It has nothing to do with me. Play strong, play big. Ain't nobody stopping you. I tell him that all the time."