Sporting Digest: Basketball

players switching clubs mid-season are justified under certain conditions, a European Union judge said yesterday in an interim court ruling. The ruling relates to a case brought by the Belgian club, Namur- Braine, against a decision by the Belgian basetball federation to overturn a victory because Namur-Braine broke transfer rules by fielding the Finnish player Jyri Lehtonen, who had signed near the end of the season.

Allan Houston scored 34 points to lead the New York Knicks to an 89-81 victory over San Antonio on Monday.