New York Knicks Highlights: Knicks Shockingly Upset San Antonio Spurs In Overtime

By Kenneth Teape | Mar 18, 2015

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New York Knicks Highlights: Knicks Pull Off Best Win Of Season, Upsetting San Antonio Spurs In Overtime

The New York Knicks pulled off a huge upset victory Tuesday night, defeating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. It was arguably the most impressive victory for the Knicks in a season there hasn’t been many. They showed heart and resiliency, as the Spurs led by as many as 13 in the second half. The Knicks never backed down or gave in though, something they have done at points during this tough season. Tuesday night they were rewarded for their efforts, picking up an overtime victory.

One of the many catalysts in the game for the Knicks was Langston Galloway, who had a career game. He played a career-high 48 minutes to go with a career-high 22 points scored. He also added four rebounds, four assists and one steal to go with only two turnovers. Galloway was relied upon heavily tonight with the Knicks dealing with yet more injuries, but he was up to the task tonight against the Spurs.

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What made that performance even more impressive was that he didn’t get down on himself going up against Tony Parker. Parker picked apart the Knicks all evening, scoring 21 points as he continues to round into shape after an early season hamstring injury that lingered longer than he or the Spurs would have expected. He also added six rebounds and six assists, but Galloway stuck with him stat for stat essentially the whole game.

Unlike the Parker, Galloway had a running mate in the backcourt step up with him as Alexey Shved continued his strong play. Shved has come out of nowhere for the Knicks, as he was essentially a throw-in in the Pablo Prigioni trade from the deadline. The Knicks are happy to have him though, as he has turned into one of their key contributors.

Tonight that unexpectedly strong play continued, as he scored 21 points on 6-14 from the field. Shved was able to get to the foul line frequently, making eight of his 12 attempts, including 4-5 in overtime to help get the victory. Like Galloway, he also helped out in other areas, as he pulled down three rebounds and handed out seven assists to go with three steals.

While the backcourt played a big part in the victory, the frontcourt was not to be left out. Lance Thomas deserves praise for the work he did guarding Kawhi Leonard throughout the night, as he held the budding Spurs’ superstar to only 13 points on 3-9 from the field. Andrea Bargnani and Louis Amundson didn’t back down from their tough matchups either, as the two continued their strong play as well.

The duo each recorded a double-double, as Amundson scored 12 points to go with a career-high 17 rebounds, while Bargnani poured in 16 points to go with 10 rebounds. They were also strong on the defensive side of the ball, blocking two and three shots respectively as they held future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan relatively in check; he scored 17 points to go with eight rebounds.

The one player other than Parker that the Knicks really had trouble containing was Tiago Splitter. Splitter was dominating the paint against the Knicks in the first half, as he recorded a double-double in the first two quarters alone, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds. Surprisingly, but good for the Knicks, the Spurs went away from Splitter in the second half, as Boris Diaw received more playing time.

While that may have helped the Knicks in the second half, they earned the victory tonight. It was a great team effort, as they never once backed down from a superior opponent. The Knicks will be back at it Thursday night when they will host the Minnesota Timberwolves. That is a game that has the makings to get ugly, as the Timberwolves are currently a half game better than the NBA-worst record of the Knicks.

Next: Who is the best point guard in Knicks history?

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