NBA Roundup: San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks win – (Part 3)
San Antonio Spurs 109 – Oklahoma City Thunder 105
In one of the most high-profile matches of the night the NBA’s best team, the San Antonio Spurs, beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-109 at the AT&T centre on Wednesday night.
The win, which was the Spurs’ third in a row over the Thunder this season, didn’t come easily though. On a highly physical and intense night, which was marred by an injury to Gary Neal who received five stitches on his face, the Spurs managed to reel off
a 6-2 run in the last 26 seconds to escape with a 109-105 win.
Oklahoma City had a brilliant first quarter. Scoring at a rate of nearly 70 percent from the field, the Thunder finished the frame, leading by 37-31. The Thunder had an offensive meltdown in the very next period though, as they got outscored by 31-16 to
go into the break trailing by nine-points.
Oklahoma City tried hard to get themselves back in the game, and finally managed to tie it at 103 in the dying minutes of the game. Their shooting though, again proved to be the nemesis, as Jeff Green missed a game-tying three-pointer with 5.4 seconds remaining.
Six San Antonio players notched up double figures. Tony Parker led with 20 points and Gary Neal added 19 off the bench, while fighting off the five stitches he received to his face at half time. For the Thunder, Kevin Durant poured 30 points and grabbed
nine rebounds, while Russell Westbrook finished with 25 points and seven assists.
New York Knicks 114 – Milwaukee Bucks 108
Carmelo Anthony's first game as a Knick was a memorable one. After receiving a befitting welcome, Anthony made sure that he paid his fans back in the same coin.
With Amar'e Stoudemire having fouled out in the fourth quarter, Anthony slammed home a key dunk and then made two free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining. That allowed the New York Knicks to overcome a spirited fight from the Milwaukee Bucks, downing them
114-108 in a thriller at Madison Square Garden.
The All-star forward, who finally landed in New York after months of speculation, finished with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. The victory also halted New York’s four-game losing streak against the Bucks, who had won four straight at the Garden and
seven of eight overall against the hosts.
After a tightly contested first half, which finished with a 59-57 score line, the Knicks managed an eight-point unanswered run early in the third quarter to bag a five-point lead. The Bucks came close many times in the ensuing minutes, but never managed
to surpass the Knicks. The last gasp heroics by Anthony proved to be the last straw, as the Knicks held on for their first win in the second half of the season.
Chauncey Billups, the veteran guard who also joined Anthony from Denver in Tuesday's blockbuster trade, finished with 21 points and eight assists. Tony Douglas scored 23 points while Amare’ Stoudemire had 19.
John Salmons scored 27 points for the Bucks while centre Andrew Bogut added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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