Spurs (33-27) vs. New York Knicks (11-48)
When, where: Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York
Last season: Spurs won series 2-0
All-time series record: Spurs lead 52-39
Season series: First meeting
Last meeting: Spurs 100, Knicks 91, Jan. 2, 2018, New York
Spurs' last game: Lost to Raptors 120-117, Friday, Toronto
Knicks' last game: Lost to Timberwolves 115-104, Friday, New York
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 5-5, lost one
Knicks' last 10 games/streak: 1-9, lost one
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Forward LaMarcus Aldridge (illness), probable; forward Drew Eubanks (G League assignment), out; forward Ben Moore (G League assignment), out; point guard Dejounte Murray (torn right anterior cruciate ligament), out; guard Lonnie Walker (G League assignment), out; point guard Derrick White (right heel soreness), probable.
Knicks' injury/inactive report: Guard Kadeem Allen (G League assignment), out; forward Isaiah Hicks (G League assignment), out; center DeAndre Jordan (sprained left ankle), doubtful; guard Frank Ntilikina (sore groin), out.
Notable: The Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers are tied for the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings, trailing No. 6 Utah (33-26) by a half-game. San Antonio has 22 games left in the regular season . . . The Spurs lost to Toronto 120-117 on Friday in their first game after the All-Star break, falling to 1-5 on their annual rodeo road trip. The Silver and Black cap the eight-game trip against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday . . . The Spurs have gone on an extended road trip each year since 2003 to make room at the AT&T Center for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo . . . The Silver and Black are the only NBA team with an all-time winning record against every team in the league . . . The Spurs have shot over 60 percent from beyond the arc while making 10+ threes in five games this season. Only one team in NBA history has had more in a single season, the 1995-96 Miami Heat (7).
GAME PREVIEW
Six games through their annual rodeo trip, the Spurs don’t have much to show for the wear and tear that comes with playing on the road.
After winning five consecutive games at home, the Silver and Black started the rodeo road trip 0-4 before squeezing out a one-point victory in Memphis in their last game before the All-Star break.
The 0-4 start is the worst in the 17-year history of the rodeo road trip, so called because the Spurs leave the AT&T Center for an extended period each February to make room for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
Any chance that the Silver and Black had of breaking even on the eight-game trip ended in Toronto Friday night, when Kawhi Leonard scored on a breakaway dunk after making a steal to put the Raptors up by one with 15 seconds left.
Leonard made the play of the game in the Raptors’ 120-117 victory when he stole the ball from DeMar DeRozan, who slipped near midcourt as Leonard and Kyle Lowry started to double-team him. Leonard hit two free throws with less than a second left for the final margin.
The Spurs still had a chance to win the game, but Davis Bertans’ jumper from the corner missed the mark with less than three seconds left. Lowry grabbed the rebound with 1.1 seconds left to secure the win. Toronto’s victory dropped San Antonio to 1-5 on its rodeo trip.
The Spurs (33-27) return to the grind Sunday night against the New York Knicks, who are last in the Eastern Conference standings at 11-48. Only Phoenix (11-50) has a worse winning percentage. Sunday’s game will be the front end of a back-to-back for the Silver and Black, who end their long trip against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Winning the next two games would give the Spurs much-needed momentum going into their next home game Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons. The Silver and Black, who are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, have 22 games left on their schedule.
San Antonio has fared well on the rodeo trip, finishing .500 in 14 of the 16 previous years. The Spurs didn’t have a losing record until 2015, when they ended the trip 4-5. The Silver and Black went 2-4 last year.
The gut-wrenching loss to the Raptors spoiled the homecoming of DeRozan, who was traded to San Antonio in a blockbuster deal that sent Leonard and starting Spurs guard Danny Green to Toronto.
DeRozan led the Spurs with 23 points and eight assists Friday night, but he also finished with four turnovers. The last one cost San Antonio the game.
“I knew they were going to be aggressive, trying to make a play on the ball and then foul,” DeRozan said. “I’ve just got to be more aware.”
The victory was the seventh in a row for Toronto, which is second in the Eastern Conference standings. Leonard finished with 25 points to lead the Raptors, and Pascal Siakam added 22.
“I thought it was a great game, a real competitive game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
The Raptors’ victory avenged a 125-107 loss to the Silver and Black on Jan. 3 at the AT&T Center. DeRozan recorded the first triple-double of his career in the Spurs’ win, finishing with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio’s second-leading scorer, had only six points in Friday night’s loss, hitting 2 of 6 shots in 30 minutes. The Spurs’ bench stepped up in a big way, outscoring Toronto’s reserves 60-57. The Spurs’ backups also outscored the team’s starters by three points.
Marco Belinelli, who nailed five three-pointers, led the bench with 21 points. Davis Bertans and Patty Mills finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Bertans made 4 of 6 three-pointers. Starting forward Rudy Gay had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Spurs starting point guard Derrick White, who had missed five straight games with a sore right heel, returned to the lineup and had seven points in 20 minutes.
