End of the suspense in the West since the defeat of the Kings in Memphis allows the Spurs to secure their place in the “play-in”. DeMar DeRozan’s teammates are guaranteed to finish 10th, and they will face either the Grizzlies or the Warriors in the first round of the play-offs. They will need two wins to snatch 8th place in the playoffs.
Playoffs that the Knicks are guaranteed to play since Wednesday night, and the loss of the Celtics in Cleveland. But their objective is not completely achieved since Julius Randle and his teammates want the advantage of the field, and therefore to finish 4th. In the fight with the Hawks and the Heat for this place, New York waited until the fourth quarter to reverse the course of the match, since the Spurs led by 17 points with less than four minutes from the end of the third quarter ( 75-58). Blame it on Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan who constantly attack the defense, but also Lonnie Walker IV deft from afar.
A 21-2 that hurts a lot
But New York will recover, and it’s RJ Barrett who comes out the big game. The Canadian scored 11 points in three minutes, and the Knicks finished the quarter on a 15-2 to attack the last quarter with only four points behind (77-73). New York has recovered, and it is Alec Burks who now punishes San Antonio with a 3-point in the corner. We’re on a 21-2, and the Knicks are ahead (79-77). Barrett continues his festival, then Randle imitates him at 3-points, and New York takes two possessions in advance (87-83).
Clumsy from afar, the Spurs attack the circle, and when Murray and DeRozan pick up the score, it is again Burks and Randle who give air to the Knicks.
The “money-time” is superb, and Keldon Johnson brings the Spurs to a unit on an “and-1” 10 seconds from the end (98-97). Ten seconds that will last five minutes … and the arms of Barrett and Burks do not shake in the free throws to allow the Knicks to win 102-98. A real repetition before the playoffs.
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