Hands down, the contest that should’ve had a TON of intrigue due to some Knicks drama going into the game, lost all of its luster when it was announced before the game that Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard would all be missing in action due to either injuries or rest. San Antonio Spurs pulled out a 109-95 victory over the New York Knicks.
The Spurs had seven players in double figures. Marco Belinelli scored a season-high 22 points coming off the bench, 13 points from Danny Green and 12 from Boris Diaw. Jeff Ayres scored 11 points with 6 rebounds, Austin Daye scored 10 points. Aron Baynes and Matt Bonner scored 10 each.
Spurs center Tiago Splitter returned after missing 18 games, entering to a loud ovation with 8 minutes left in the third quarter. Splitter has been out since Nov. 5, but left 10 minutes into his season debut after again experiencing tightness in his right calf.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting for the horrible Knicks, who are continuing to be on their worst start in franchise history. Jason Smith came off the bench to score 14 points and Cole Aldrich joined him off the bench to score 10.
A game after he was ejected for arguing with a referee, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t taking the night off, even without his “Core Four”. The unpredictable coach called timeout only a minute into the game to lecture Green for missing a defensive assignment that allowed Hardaway to score the game’s first points on a wide open 3-pointer. Popovich would call two timeouts in the opening 6 minutes to address the team’s defensive performance, but they eventually pulled it together and got it right.
San Antonio, playing without their “Core Four”, was 10 for 19 on 3-pointers and shot 50 percent overall as well as the bench scoring 55 points.
The Knicks have lost their 10th straight game.
San Antonio Spurs are 16-6. New York Knicks are 4-20.
Full Game Highlights.
