Shorthanded Knicks Are Waxed By Spurs In San Antonio
27. Final. 109. 29. 95
The New York Knicks got a lesson in what a real team looks like tonight, as the San Antonio Spurs eventually wore them down and then ran the Knicks out of the gym in the second half. It was a weird game in general, as both teams were missing main pieces on the roster, and a lot of backups get extended minutes. Sadly for the Knicks, the Spurs are a well oiled machine no matter who is on the court, and it eventually willed them to a victory.
Player of the Game: Cole Aldrich
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With the Knicks getting beaten in the fashion they were, there was extended minutes even for players at the end of the bench. Aldrich took advantage of the extra run, scoring a season-high 10 points to go with five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Aldrich brings plenty of things to the table that the Knicks are not strong at, with rebounding being the chief thing. He should find his way into more playing time sooner than later, especially with Samuel Dalembert looking to be falling out of the rotation more and more as the days pass by.
-Offense Not Lacking
Playing without Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith tonight, the Knicks offense needed people to step up. It wasn’t pretty at all times, but the Knicks offense really didn’t falter tonight without two of their scorers. Tim Hardaway Jr. picked up the lead scoring slack, leading the team with 23 points on 9-18 from the field, 4-7 from deep, adding three rebounds, two blocks and one steal. In addition to Hardaway Jr., Aldrich and Jason Smith joined him in scoring double-digits, putting in 10 and 14 respectively.
On the night the Knicks had strong shooting performances, knocking down 48.7 percent overall of their shots, and 40.0 percent of their three-point attempts.
-Quite Night for STAT
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On the second night of a back-to-back, Amar’e Stoudemire just didn’t have it for the Knicks tonight. He has been playing heavy minutes, and it looks like it caught up to him a bit tonight, as he wasn’t as explosive on either end of the court, looking slightly tired. He finished the game quietly with eight points, two rebounds and one assist.
-Poor Perimeter Defense
If it has been said once, it has been said a thousand times. The Knicks perimeter defense just isn’t very good, and tonight was no difference. The Spurts lit the Knicks up from deep, as they made 10-19 from behind the arc. Marco Belinelli and Austin Daye led the way off the bench, making 5-8 combined. The Spurs really hurt the Knicks in the decisive third quarter, when they made 6-8 from behind the three-point line, the only misses they had in the whole quarter.