Spurs rout Melo-less Knicks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Antonio Spurs didn't need their "Big Four" to make easy work of the Carmelo Anthony-less New York Knicks.
Marco Belinelli had 22 points off the bench as the Spurs routed the Knicks 109-95 on Wednesday night.
Tony Parker missed his second straight game with a left hamstring strain, Kawhi Leonard sat with a bruised hand and Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were both held out to rest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Danny Green netted 13 points, while Boris Diaw added 12 points and four assists for the Spurs, who had dropped two of their last four games coming in on the heels of an eight-game winning streak.
"I haven't been this pleased in a while. I just saw a lot of guys who haven't played much play the fundamental game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Anthony sat out due to left knee soreness.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tim Hardaway Jr. posted 23 points to lead New York, which has lost 10 consecutive games.
"There's just a mutual level of respect as competitors that we've always held for each other," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said of Popovich. "He means a lot to me personally, in terms of what he stands for and the way he's helped develop what this organization has become."
The Spurs were up 29-26 after a quarter of play and led 56-52 at halftime, but pulled away in the third quarter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They began the second half on a 9-2 run, with four straight Aron Baynes free throws capping the surge and staking San Antonio to a 65-54 cushion.
A 16-0 burst later in the frame put the game away. Belinelli knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to finish off the swing and give the hosts a commanding 86-61 margin later in the stanza.
San Antonio, which outscored New York 38-21 in the third, took a 94-73 spread into the fourth, where it cruised to the easy triumph.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
The Spurs moved to 8-1 at home this year ... The Knicks' 4-20 start is the worst in franchise history ... New York has lost 11 straight road games, its longest since dropping 12 consecutive ones from Jan. 15-March 1, 2006 ... The Spurs had seven double-digit scorers.