Spurs Vs Knicks: Knicks stifle streaking Spurs in statement 114-89 win

The Knicks beat the Spurs 114-89 at Madison Square Garden in a game billed as spurs vs knicks, a performance that matters because it ended San Antonio’s opponent’s 11-game winning streak and echoed the Knicks’ NBA Cup Final showing against San Antonio. The victory served as a reminder that the Knicks can still press their case among the league’s best.

Sunday at Madison Square Garden: a statement after the Cup Final

The 114-89 win at Madison Square Garden mirrored the Knicks’ performance in the NBA Cup Final against San Antonio and came on Sunday. Before and during that Cup triumph, the Knicks looked like bona fide contenders; since blowing a double-digit lead to the Spurs on New Year’s Eve, the Knicks had mostly dragged their feet. The surging Spurs had won 11 straight entering this matchup and were viewed as an elite team with title aspirations, making the result a clear statement.

Brunson’s late first-quarter burst and the Harper flagrant sequence

The Knicks offense started the game in shambles, but Jalen Brunson, after missing his first three shots from the field, scored the last 11 Knicks points to end the first quarter and the team somehow carried a one-point lead into the second quarter. Five of those points came on a five-point possession when Brunson drew a flagrant foul on Dylan Harper while taking a 3-pointer; Brunson hit two of three free throws, and then, after the Knicks kept possession, he converted an and-one on Harper again.

Second-quarter runs: 11-0 starter and a 19-0 stretch

The Knicks opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run that was part of larger 19-0 and 26-2 stretches spanning back to the first quarter, taking a 12-point lead before the Spurs called timeout. That 19-0 run was the longest unanswered run allowed by the Spurs this season. New York shot 52. 2 percent from the field during a red-hot second quarter and entered halftime up 10, then never saw its lead dip below eight points for the rest of the game.