SAN ANTONIO – Manu Ginobili scored 28 points in the San Antonio Spurs' 97-87 victory Wednesday night over the New York Knicks, who clinched a franchise-record ninth consecutive losing season.
Ginobili kept carrying the Spurs after scoring 38 in a loss Monday at Cleveland, thriving again in his second start since Tony Parker's broken right hand thrust Ginobili off the bench. He's likely to stay there the rest of the season.
Tim Duncan had 18 for the Spurs, who have won five of six. David Lee led the Knicks with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Knicks (22-42) haven't finished with a winning record since 2001. They can take some comfort in this season likely not being their worst, since New York needs just two wins to surpass its 23 wins in 2005-06 and 2007-08.
But starting a five-game road trip, those wins might not come easily.
The Knicks go to Memphis on Friday before coming back to Texas to face Dallas. But they didn't leave San Antonio without a fight.
The Knicks whittled a 15-point deficit to four early in the fourth when Al Harrington took a pass deep under the basket and went over Matt Bonner for an easy layup. After Danilo Gallinari coasted by Duncan to make it 81-77, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sharply signaled a timeout and Duncan bounced the ball hard in frustration.
Gallinari wasn't done. He slipped along the baseline for a layup two possessions later to make it 83-81, then went to the foul line with a chance to tie — but made just one of two.
That was as close as New York would get. Coming back into the game between Gallinari's free throws, Ginobili calmly hit a running floater, then hit his second 3-pointer of the night to all but seal the win.
Ginobili finished 10 of 18 and also had six rebounds. Antonio McDyess had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and all Spurs starters were in double figures.
The Spurs will try building more momentum against Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers before entering their toughest stretch of the season: a span of seven games that includes Orlando, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, the Lakers, Cleveland and Boston.
They'll have to do it without Parker, who isn't expected to be back until the playoffs. The Spurs had lost three straight with Parker out of the lineup, but climbed back to 6-6 this season without him.
Gallinari finished with 14 points and Wilson Chandler had 17 for the Knicks.
Eddy Curry didn't make his Knicks return as coach Mike D'Antoni hoped before his team hit the road. Curry hasn't played since having left knee surgery on Jan. 18, and sat on the bench in uniform.
Notes
The Spurs signed G Cedric Jackson on Wednesday to a 10-day contract. Jackson played for the D-League's Erie BayHawks and is the first Spurs addition since waiving Michael Finley last week. …The Knicks lost their seventh straight in San Antonio, having not won here since 2003.