The San Antonio Spurs topped the New York Knicks 122-115 on Thursday night. Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 30 points, 3 rebounds and one assist. Romeo Lankford scored 23 points. Trey Jones dropped in 13 and Jeremy Sochan scored 12 to give the Spurs four players in double-figures. Julius Randle was the leading scorer for the Knicks with 41 points. Immanuel Quickley scored 36 in a losing cause.
SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On matching the physicality of Julius Randle and the Knicks…)
“I think as a group we handled the physicality pretty well. We gang-rebounded, so to speak. We went after loose balls, had a big stop at the end where the ball ended up on the floor, and had guys diving for it, so it was a hell of an effort. They deserve to enjoy that win.”
(On how the Spurs are doing defending without fouling, especially the younger guys…)
“(The Knicks) are great with their pump-fakes. You have about three or four guys at pump-fake all the time, so in that regard, we did pretty well. We kind of let them back in, maybe three or four times there in the second half where we got off our feet and it was three or four different players that were doing it. It’s a huge discipline for a young player to be able to just stay in front and absorb pump-fakes and not foul.”
Spurs Forward Keldon Johnson
(On the Spurs building an early lead and holding on at the end of the game…)
“Staying disciplined and executing. I feel like we did a great job of executing and stayed solid on defense for the most part. Obviously, we had some mistakes, but we stayed solid and just kept playing for each other.”
(On Romeo Langford’s career-high 21 points…)
“I want all of you to go look at Romeo’s highlights from high school and college. I’ve been saying this since last year, I want you all to look at his highlights and you’ll see more than 20-point nights. It’s crazy… I’m proud of him. I’m happy he’s with us. He’s a great defender, he’s playing well. Cutting to the baskets, hitting jump-shots. He hit a big pull-up tonight. He’s a prime example of staying ready and taking advantage of an opportunity.”
(On scoring 30 points…)
“Just taking what the defense is giving me. Being aggressive down the stretch. My teammates and coaches put me in great spots. They get me in spots that I’m comfortable with and that I can make plays out of and that’s what I did.”