Fellow Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace (stress reaction in leftfoot), starting point guard Raymond Felton (fractured right pinkie) and Iman Shumpert (recovering from torn ACL) all remain out with injuries.
The Azzurri pressed hard for three points in a pulsating second half, but the All Whites stood firm and could have snatched a remarkable victory had 18-year-old West Brom forward Chris Wood not guided a late left-foot shot just wide of the post.
Showing supreme confidence, he dummied a pass to Dowling, kicked forward on the left wing and scooped it up on the bounce with his right foot before gleefully touching down.
The Flyers needed the good news after they learned All-Star forward Scott Hartnell is expected to miss four to eight weeks because of a broken leftfoot.