PHILADELPHIA, Nov 24 — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points as the visiting San Antonio Spurs snapped an eight-game losing skid yesterday with an 111-104 victory over the New York Knicks.
DeMar DeRozan collected 21 points and nine rebounds and Patty Mills sank all five of his 3-point attempts to highlight his 17-point performance for the Spurs, who ended their worst slide since the 1996-97 season.
Jakob Poeltl had 11 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio posted its first win since a 121-112 victory versus Oklahoma City on November 7.
Marcus Morris Sr. scored 20 points and Bobby Portis recorded 13 of his 16 points in the first half for the Knicks, who were swept in the season series and have lost eight of their last 11 encounters with the Spurs.
San Antonio shot 59.1 per cent from the floor (26 of 44) and 53.3 per cent from 3-point range (8 of 15) to secure a 68-43 advantage at halftime.
Aldridge’s 3-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Spurs their largest lead of the season at 73-45 before New York slowly chipped away.
Wayne Ellington sank back-to-back 3-pointers and Portis connected from beyond the arc as the Knicks cut San Antonio’s lead to 85-71 with 1:41 left in the third quarter.
Morris converted a four-point play after draining a 3-pointer while being fouled by Rudy Gay. Rookie RJ Barrett’s layup trimmed the Spurs’ lead to 105-98 with 3:30 left, but New York was unable to close the gap.
San Antonio wasted little time getting the early jump on New York, as DeRozan scored five quick points to cap the Spurs’ 7-0 run to start the game. San Antonio kept its foot on the gas, with Mills completing a 15-2 run by draining a 3-pointer to push the team’s advantage to 26-9.
Poeltl’s alley-oop dunk gave the Spurs a 32-16 lead after the first quarter, marking the first time that the club held a team below 20 points in a quarter since its 113-110 victory over Portland on October 28.
Trey Lyles made three straight 3-pointers off the bench to push San Antonio’s lead to 51-29 midway into the second quarter. — Reuters
