FOURTH QUARTER:
Dejounte Murray got the Spurs started with a three-point play in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back threes by Kevin Knox put the Knicks in front, 90-86.
The Spurs now find themselves needing every point they can get, and Dejounte Murray showed the determination to grab these two points.
With 5 minutes left in the game, the Spurs took a 105-97 lead on a Dejounte Murray three-pointer. That made a Spurs run 13 unanswered points and drew a Knicks timeout. The run included a couple of DeRozan baskets, but he was still at just 7 points with 4:35 to go. Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray are pacing the Spurs with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
That run wound up being more than the Knicks could handle, and the Spurs were able to roll to the 120-111 victory. The 21 turnovers were far from ideal, and it probably should have been easier, but the Spurs are 1-0.
THIRD QUARTER:
After three, the Knicks lead 84-83.
At halftime, the Knicks' Marcus Morris leads all scorers with 17 points. The visitors also got 14 points from Julius Randle. The Spurs were led by 15 points from Bryn Forbes and 10 from Dejounte Murray. The Spurs shot a scorching 51 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. It all added up to an eight-point cushion.
The Knicks came storming out of the gate to start the second half, going on an 11-2 run to take a brief lead. LaMarcus Aldridge scored the first eight points of the second half for San Antonio. With 6:25 to play in the third, the Spurs held a 67-65 lead.
The onslaught continued through the middle of the third quarter. With 2:30 left in the quarter, New York led 80-73. Rookie RJ Barrett began hitting his stride for the Knicks. He got up to 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
It was a wild sequence to end the third quarter, as Rudy Gay converted a three-point play to give the Spurs a one-point lead with 11 seconds left. But RJ Barrett drove to the rim and buried a buzzer-beating layup. The Spurs will start the fourth quarter down by one.
SECOND QUARTER:
At halftime, the Spurs lead 59-51.
Dejounte Murray has two steals in his first seven minutes of action. He also has seven points. With 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Spurs lead 27-18 and appear to be in control.
The Knicks wouldn't go away without a fight, but the Spurs are a better team. The home court is helping the Spurs to a better shooting percentage. More importantly, San Antonio is keeping New York's big men off the glass. A 25-15 edge in the rebounding stat is an indicator of a successful team.
There's also this: The Spurs are in control in spite of less-than-amazing performances from All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.
FIRST QUARTER:
After one, the Spurs lead 22-15.
The first points of the game went to the Knicks on a Marcus Morris jump shot to the tune of a chorus of boos. Morris reneged on a deal to join the Spurs this summer and joined the Knicks instead.
Meanwhile, the first basket of the Spurs season (it could be trivia someday!) belongs to Bryn Forbes. The Spurs scored eight straight points after the opening bucket by New York.
The Knicks went on a little bit of a run in the middle of the quarter, thanks to some sloppy ballhandling by the Spurs. But, hey! DeMar DeRozan is wearing pink shoes! that's cool, right?
The Spurs got back on track and finished the quarter with a seven-point lead. Bryn Forbes leads all scorers with seven points after 12 minutes.
PREGAME:
The 2019-2020 San Antonio Spurs season begins Wednesday night at the AT&T Center with a game against the New York Knicks. You can watch the game on KENS 5, the official TV station of the Spurs.
As if the start of a new season wasn't enough of a reason for anticipation, there's some added drama between the Spurs and Knicks. Over the summer, forward Marcus Morris verbally agreed to a deal with San Antonio, but changed his mind before he put ink to paper and signed a contract. The Spurs made a handful of moves to accommodate the veteran, including a trade that sent forward Davis Bertans to Washington. Morris ultimately joined the New York Knicks. Expect fans at the AT&T Center to remember the move when Morris is introduced.
The Spurs started 0-3 in the preseason before storming back to win their next two games. The roster for the Silver and Black is largely the same as last year, but that hasn't stopped coach Gregg Popovich from emphasizing defense. The first real game of the season will offer a look at where the team stands on that end of the floor.
We break it all down on the latest episode of the Big Fundamental Podcast! Listen below or on your favorite app:
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