• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Knicks knock around sizzling Spurs

Jan 5, 2011 - 4:03 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Wilson Chandler hit 13-of-19 shots en route to a season-high 31 points and added nine rebounds with four assists as the New York Knicks raced past the San Antonio Spurs, 128-115, at Madison Square Garden.

Amare Stoudemire supplied 28 points, nine boards, six assists and three blocks while Raymond Felton provided 28 points and seven assists for the Knicks, who have won two in a row and four out of their last six.

"It was a big win for us," Stoudemire said. "It was very intriguing the way we played. We had great energy from the start. They tried to send double and triple teams at me and I was able to pick them apart. Guys were open and ready to shoot."

Tony Parker scored 26 points and handed out six helpers while DeJuan Blair chipped in with 17 points and eight boards for the Spurs, who had entered the contest having won four straight and 14 out of 15.

San Antonio entered the game with the best record in the league at 29-4 and was denied the opportunity to match the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls and the 2007-08 Boston Celtics for the second best 34-game start in league history.

Chandler dropped in 12 points in the first quarter that ended with the Knicks holding a 36-35 advantage. The high-scoring tone was set right from the start, as the hosts made 15-of-23 from the floor while the Spurs connected on 14- of-22 in the opening frame.

Both teams shot well above 50 percent again in the second quarter, as the Knicks took a 72-69 lead at the intermission. A short jumper by Stoudemire gave the Knicks a nine-point lead midway through the period, the largest lead for either side in the first 24 minutes.

San Antonio created two ties in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the third quarter but wound up falling behind 101-91 with 72 seconds left. Layups by Parker and Antonio McDyess sliced the deficit to six entering the final period.

George Hill's jumper trimmed the New York lead to 108-105 with 7:49 left but that is as close as the Spurs would get the rest of the way.

A Tim Duncan bank shot drew the Spurs to within 115-109 before Felton buried a three-pointer and a jumper and Stoudemire added a layup to make it 122-111 with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich then pulled Parker, Duncan, Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili from the game 16 seconds later with his team trailing by 10.

"They were more aggressive, more physical," Popovich said. "They were hungrier than we were and it showed in a lot of ways, turnovers, second chance points, that kind of thing. If we score 115 points, I expect to win the game. Our defense was pathetic."

Game Notes

Stoudemire made 11-of-17 shots while Felton knocked down 10-of-17 for the Knicks, who finished shooting 55 percent...Danilo Gallinari missed the game for New York with a left knee injury suffered in Sunday's win over Indiana. The Knicks have won four straight at home...Duncan finished with 14 points and six caroms for the Spurs, who lead the all-time series, 43-34...Ginobili added 15 points, five boards and five assists in defeat...San Antonio shot 53.7 percent but had only 18 assists on 44 made buckets...The 128 points yielded by the Spurs were the most they have allowed this season.