SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs opened a four-game homestand by easily taking care of the New York Knicks (13-56) 109-83 at the AT&T Center on Friday night.
The win was the seventh straight for the Spurs, who got revenge for a 130-116 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden last month.
The Spurs were favored heavily before the game, and if you know how to read basketball betting lines, it played out pretty similar to what was expected on the spread.
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs as well as three standout players: LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, and Jakob Poeltl.
The Good:
- The Spurs stayed red hot at home and improved to 17-1 this season when leading by 20 points or more in games.
- San Antonio improved to 13-3 when holding an opponent below 100 points. The Spurs held the Knicks to just 83 points on Friday.
- LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan got some much-needed rest and did not play in the fourth quarter. This will prove important as San Antonio hosts Portland tomorrow night.
The Bad:
- San Antonio had trouble containing Damyean Dotson, who scored 21 points on the night.
Three Standout Players:
LaMarcus Aldridge
The Spurs forward had a quiet night but then again, not much was needed from the Spurs big guns on this night.
Aldridge finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He had no trouble getting around Knicks big men DeAndre Jordan and Lance Thomas as he hit big shots from the post, baseline, and top of the key.
DeMar DeRozan
San Antonio’s leading scorer for the season finished Friday’s game with 13 points and seven assists as he shot 54 percent from the floor.
He weaved his way to the basket, found his teammates for big shots and of course, connected from the free throw line. The game was put away midway through the third quarter, so there was no need for him or Aldridge to play the fourth quarter.
Jakob Poeltl
The sunburnt Spurs center continued to show why he’s earned his starting role and displayed his improvement in Pop’s system.
Poeltl finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, and two assists in 26 minutes of action. He had a throwdown dunk, some big blocks and continues to work well with Aldridge manning the paint in the middle. Poeltl being in the starting five has allowed LMA to move back to his more traditional spot at the 4.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 40-29 on the season and will return to the court on Saturday night when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers (42-26) to the AT&T Center at 7:30 pm Central Time.
