RJ Barrett’s 32 points help Knicks down Spurs
FILE–RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/AFP (
RJ Barrett poured in 32 points and Mitchell Robinson added 11 points and 14 rebounds as the visiting New York Knicks knocked off the road-weary San Antonio Spurs 121-109 on Tuesday to snap a three-game losing streak.
The game was the second of a road-home back-to-back for the Spurs, who lost in Phoenix on Monday.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Knicks led by six points at the half and stretched their advantage to 14 at the end of the third quarter with torrid 3-point shooting and a domination of the glass.
Barrett carried New York in the first half, when he scored 19 points, and the Knicks collectively carted that momentum into the fourth quarter, when they fended off a tepid Spurs rally and pulled away late.
☔ @RjBarrett6 drops 32 PTS with a career-high 7 3PM to lift the @nyknicks to the W! pic.twitter.com/P67s5rgSak
— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2021
Alec Burks added 18 points for New York, with Immanuel Quickley hitting for 16, Julius Randle scoring 15 and Derrick Rose contributing 12.
Derrick White paced San Antonio with 26 points while Dejounte Murray had 15, Doug McDermott and Jakob Poeltl added 13 each and Bryn Forbes scored 12. Murray also chipped in seven rebounds and seven assists.
Keldon Johnson left the game with a right ankle injury late in the second quarter and did not return for the Spurs, who have lost two straight after a season-best, four-game winning streak.
The first quarter went back and forth with seven lead changes and seven ties, the final of which came on a 3-pointer by McDermott that just beat the horn and knotted the game at 28.
New York never trailed in the second period, building as much as an 11-point lead after Rose’s 3-pointer at the halfway mark before taking a 62-56 advantage into halftime.
Barrett led all scorers with 19 points at the half after nailing all four of his 3-point attempts. Burks added 12 first-half points for the Knicks, who got only two points from Randle prior to intermission.
White paced the Spurs with 12 points before the break while McDermott tallied 11.
New York stretched its lead to 16 points late in the third quarter on Rose’s 3-pointer with 29.4 seconds left, one of the Knicks’ seven baskets from beyond the arc in the period. New York took a 95-81 edge to the final 12 minutes.
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