The San Antonio Spurs closed out their seven-game road trip with a 111-96 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
The loss is the third straight for San Antonio, who closed their road trip with a 1-6 record.
“They played hard for three quarters, hung in, and under the circumstances, I really couldn’t have expected much more,” Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said. “I wanted more, but it would be silly to expect more.”
San Antonio played without seven players, including six players in health and safety protocols. As a result, Dejounte Murray scored 24 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 15 for the Spurs.
RJ Barrett gave the Spurs defense all they could handle and scored 31 points, including 17 in the second half. Evan Fournier added 18 points as the Knicks put the Spurs away by going on an 18-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
Despite finishing the road trip with a 1-6 mark, Popovich is pleased with his team for holding it together and fighting through injuries and COVID-19 protocol.
“I think they have gotten better in a lot of areas,” he said. “Some of these losses we had on this trip will turn into wins as we get guys back.”
As with Murray, who missed time with COVID-19 health and safety protocols, has not missed a beat since his return and the expectation is that will be the same when other players return as well.
“It’s definitely impressive,” Spurs center Jakob Poeltl said of Murray. “I know from (personal experience) how hard it is to get back after sitting for such a long time. But for him, it was like he was never gone…He seemed like himself right away.”
UP NEXT:
The San Antonio Spurs are now 15-25 on the season and will return to the court on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. when they return home to face the Houston Rockets.