The next-man-up Knicks were down a man but rose up to take down another foe last night, besting the San Antonio Spurs 102-98 at Madison Square Garden. A ragged affair early become a barnburner late, with the second half a tale of two halves. Each quarter brought a new New York savior to the spotlight, a microcosm of a season where heroes abound.
The opening frame continued the ‘90s theme the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers worked within Tuesday; midway through neither New York nor San Antonio had reached double-digits. But Julius Randle was the best player on the floor and showed it, notching 14 of the Knicks’ 20 first quarter points, and their 9-0 run bridging the first and second quarter hinted that the better team would pull away.