They certainly made more of an effort than we've seen recently, but the Knicks couldn't scrap together another upset against in San Antonio, dropping their fifth straight in a loss to the Spurs. As a team, New York played another game of inefficient offense, with each major option shooting poorly. Amar'e Stoudemire was hounded in the paint and shot just 8-25 (ending his streak of 20+ point games). Raymond Felton (8-21) and Wilson Chandler (3-10) also continued to slump, though Felton did pick things up somewhat in the second half.
That the Knicks even managed to compete (it was just a six-point game heading into the fourth quarter) is a testament to a pretty decent defensive showing. Led by Ronny Turiaf and Toney Douglas, the Knicks forced turnovers, banged in the paint, and worked the glass better than they have in recent games. Against any lesser team, New York's defensive improvement may have been enough to notch a win. Alas, the D fell short of stopping the league's best offense. Tim Duncan (21 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists) had a magnificent night, and four other Spurs reached double figures.
New York's road trip reaches its end tomorrow night in Oklahoma City, where they'll be up against another talented team that's looking to avenge a loss at the Garden.