New York Knicks Takeaways From Loss To San Antonio Spurs

Nov 2, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Langston Galloway (2) lays up a basket during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. San Antonio Spurs won 94-84. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

It was another long night for the New York Knicks on their home court. After getting handled rather easily in their home opener against the Atlanta Hawks last week, the Knicks had some struggles against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are obviously in a class of their own in the NBA, so it was a difficult game for the Knicks right from the get go but at least they fought hard.

The Knicks were competitive throughout most of the night, but it was evident which team is a perennial contender in the NBA. They never backed down, even though the Spurs were bringing it on both ends of the court. If the Knicks thought they were going to get a little bit of a letdown from the Spurs because they were on the second night of a back-to-back, they thought wrong as Gregg Popovich didn’t sit any of his veterans.

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The Knicks trailed by 12 points at halftime, which could have equaled a blowout in the second half but they continued to fight. The Knicks put together a strong third quarter to get the lead down to five heading into the fourth quarter and remain within striking distance. They would keep the deficit around that margin through the beginning of the fourth quarter, but around the seven minute mark the Spurs took control.

With 7:07 left in the game, Robin Lopez scored to put the Knicks down five. Unfortunately, that would be the closest the Knicks got as the Spurs put the clamps on and put the game away. The next point for the Knicks didn’t come until there was 1:39 left in the game, when Carmelo Anthony made the second of his two free throw attempts. By that time, the Spurs had gotten their lead up to 14 points, effectively ending the game.

While it was encouraging to see the Knicks fight to the very end, it was clear who was the superior team from the get go. The Knicks will now prepare for another tough game, this time with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Before we get to that though, let’s go in-depth and look at some of the takeaways from the loss to the Spurs.

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