New York Knicks Stun San Antonio Spurs and Tuesday NBA Takeaways
March Madness will officially kick into high gear Thursday afternoon, but the New York Knicks decided to crash the party and get things started a couple of days early.
Despite opening as 13-point underdogs, according to Odds Shark, the Knicks (14-53) scrapped past the San Antonio Spurs, 104-100, in overtime Tuesday evening.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, recent outcomes suggest New York's triumph over the defending champions was merely the continuation of a trend:
But given the disparity in achievement levels, it turned out to be a victory of historic proportions, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:
En route to downing the Spurs, the Knicks received contributions from their ragtag collection of glorified NBA D-League talent.
Langston Galloway topped the charts with 22 points (10-of-18 shooting), four rebounds and four assists, while Alexey Shved totaled 21 points (6-of-14 shooting, 8-of-12 from the line), a game-high seven dimes and three steals.
For the second time this season, Andrea Bargnani posted a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He's now recorded double-figure point totals in eight straight games and 14 of his last 15 appearances overall.
Thanks in part to a 28-21 fourth-quarter advantage, the Knicks' high-scoring trio was able to best San Antonio's esteemed Big Three, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
While it's become commonplace to tease New York for its lack of polish, head coach Derek Fisher viewed Tuesday's upset victory as validation of the team's growth, according to the team's official Twitter account:
The Spurs (41-25), who have now lost two of their last three games, were apparently fooled by the caliber of their opponent. At least, that's how head coach Gregg Popovich saw things.
"We didn't respect the game," Popovich said (via ESPN New York's Ohm Youngmisuk). "We didn't respect the opponent. It was a pathetic performance."
For just the 10th time this season, San Antonio shot worse than 40 percent from the field. Combined with a 21.4 percent showing from distance (the team's fifth-worst of the season), that was a recipe for disaster.
And while the win helped lift the Knicks' downtrodden spirits, their upcoming slate is littered with tilts that could shape the lottery order in mid-May.
| New York Knicks | 14-53 | 25.0 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 14-52 | 19.9 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 15-52 | 15.6 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 17-49 | 11.9 |
| Orlando Magic | 21-48 | 8.8 |
As The Wall Street Journal's Chris Herring explained, the Knicks' next two games, in particular, could seal their fate in a quest to obtain the draft's No. 1 pick. Thursday, New York will host the feisty Minnesota Timberwolves before traveling to the City of Brotherly Love for an Atlantic Division showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers on the second night of a back-to-back.
It's a good thing they got the win out of their system on Tuesday.
Around the Association
New Orleans Going Up on a Tuesday
In the Western Conference’s high-stakes postseason ping-pong match, the New Orleans Pelicans (37-30) held serve in their quest for the No. 8 seed Tuesday night.
It took a fortuitous bounce from a wide-open Ersan Ilyasova three as time expired, but New Orleans escaped with an 85-84 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Following the Oklahoma City Thunder's 119-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Monday night, New Orleans is temporarily holding down the No. 8 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker.
The NBA's second-ranked defense, per NBA.com, held New Orleans in check throughout, but Anthony Davis was still able to stuff the stat sheet with 20 points (6-of-18 shooting), 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
He also had a fun back-and-forth with Giannis Antetokounmpo that included a shot getting blocked into oblivion; the NBA provided highlights:
Antetokounmpo (15 points, nine rebounds, five assists) held his own, evidenced by a gorgeous Eurostep finish through contact in the second quarter:
With the Pelicans' next four games coming against Phoenix, Golden State, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers, it's a good thing they averted late-game disaster against Milwaukee. A scheduling reprieve won't come until next weekend, though, when New Orleans will square off against the Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings.
Reggie Jackson Burns Memphis
Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson entered Tuesday night's clash with the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 14.3 points and 6.6 assists on 37.1 percent shooting since the All-Star break.
Put lightly, shooting woes have plagued Jackson's brief time in the Motor City, so it was only reasonable to think that would continue to be the case against a stingy Grizzlies defense.
Except it wasn't.
Jackson exploded for 23 points (10-of-18 shooting) and a career-high 20 dimes, making him the second player this season to meet those single-game statistical benchmarks.
As NBA.com/Stats noted, both players have achieved the feat in a Detroit uniform:
And according to ESPN Stats & Info, that's been a rare sight over the past 15 years:
On the flip side, consistency continues to elude Memphis. The Grizzlies are just 5-5 over their last 10 games, and without Mike Conley (ankle), Memphis couldn't generate enough offense to slip past the league's 20th-ranked defense, according to NBA.com.
Jeff Green led the way with 21 points, five rebounds and two steals, but Memphis was a team-worst minus-12 with him on the floor.
With consecutive showdowns against the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers looming, Memphis needs to recapture the offensive potency that carried it through November and December. The Grizzlies haven't cracked 100 points since a March 9 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Houston's Eyeing a Top-Three Seed
The Houston Rockets haven't exactly been throttling up the standings over the past three weeks, but a 5-4 record in March has been enough to keep them within striking distance of the West's No. 2 seed.
By defeating the Orlando Magic, 107-94, Houston's now tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 3 seed and sits 1.5 games back of the second-seeded Grizzlies.
For the third time in his last four appearances, James Harden failed to crack 20 points, managing 17 on 4-of-14 shooting (8-of-11 from the line). However, Harden's been much-improved on defense over the past nine games, with Houston surrendering just 96.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, according to NBA.com. That's a 3.7-point improvement over his season total, also per NBA.com.
Josh Smith and Trevor Ariza both matched Harden's scoring output, while Donatas Motiejunas dropped a team-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Following three straight sub-15-point outings, Victor Oladipo has bounced back with consecutive efforts of at least 25 points. Against Houston's vaunted backcourt, Oladipo poured in 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go with four steals, four rebounds and three assists.
Since the All-Star break, Oladipo's averaging 21.2 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 38.8 percent shooting from three.
Clippers Leapfrog Southwest Foes
It didn't come without some tense moments, but the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a two-game losing streak and battled past the Charlotte Hornets, 99-92, despite getting outscored, 33-18, in the third quarter.
Behind a game-high 23 points from J.J. Redick, 21 points and eight assists from Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan's 17th straight double-figure rebounding performance (14 boards, 12 points), the Los Angeles Clippers were able to leapfrog the Spurs and idle Dallas Mavericks and slide into the West's No. 5 seed. The NBA shared highlights of its "assist of the night" winner, involving Paul and Griffin:
"Chris Paul bounces a no-look DIME to Blake Griffin for the #AssistOfTheNight! http://t.co/hPA6W9v7Lb
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2015"
In his second game back from elbow surgery, Blake Griffin did as Blake Griffin typically does, tallying 19 points (8-of-12 shooting), 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 36 minutes.
With three of its next five games coming against the Knicks, Kings and Sixers, L.A. should create some separation from the Mavericks, who are primed to clash with the Spurs (twice) and Grizzlies during a rough stretch that runs through next Friday.
