ATLANTA, Georgia, May 20 (AFP) - Latrell Sprewell came off the bench to score 31 points for the second game in a row, sparking upstart New York past Atlanta 77-70 here Thursday. The Knicks took a 2-0 lead in the National Basketball Association best-of-seven quarter-final series and host the next two games Saturday and Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Eighth seed New York ousted Eastern Conference top seed Miami in the first round after edging Charlotte by a game for the final playoff spot. Only once in NBA history at an eighth seed dumped a top seed. Sprewell and Allen Houston combined for 65 points in Tuesday's 100-92 series-opening victory. Even though Houston scored only two points on 1-of-8 shooting in game two and Patrick Ewing was hurt, Sprewell took control. He made 8-of-16 shots from the field and 15-of-19 from the line, choking the Hawks' chances as he did his coach early last season to earn a banishment tthat led him to be traded from Golden State to New York. Sprewell sparked a 21-4 run in the third and fourth quarters that produced a 69-58 lead. The Knicks underwent a difficult season in which veteran Patrick Ewing struggled and coach Jeff Van Gundy seemed on the verge of being fired several times. The Knicks, 8-17 on the road in the regular season, have a 4-1 playoff record on the road. Ewing scored 12 points and Marcus Camby added 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who held Atlanta to 30 percent shooting (24-of-81) from the floor. Mookie Blaylock collected 17 points for Atlanta.  