San Antonio took an 81-68 lead on a 3-pointer by Charles Smith with 4:48 remaining. But Latrell Sprewell hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run that was capped by a 22-foot jumper by Allan Houston with 2:35 remaining.
Duncan ended the burst with a pair of free throws with 2:02 left, then was fouled grabbing a rebound and made two more from the line with 81 seconds to go to make it 85-77. After a stop, Bruce Bowen hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left and New York got no closer.
 Tim Duncan shoots for two of his 21 points against the Knicks. D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images |
Rookie Tony Parker added 14 points and Malik Rose chipped in 13 for San Antonio, which had lost three of its previous four games at the Alamodome after starting the campaign 13-1 at home.
"Malik has got to be having one of his best years," Spurs center David Robinson said. "His activity on the boards and the offensive help has been nice for us. He's probably the most active 6-5 guy I've ever seen."
Robinson was only 3-of-9 for eight points, but he had nine rebounds and a season-high seven blocks.
"David was great blocking shots," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He was a defensive force tonight."
Marcus Camby had 21 points, 22 rebounds and six blocks for New York, which fell to 4-11 on the road this season. Houston added 22 points and Sprewell 17 for the Knicks, who had won three of their last four regular season games at San Antonio.
"Tonight I felt good," Camby said. "I felt like I had a lot of energy coming into the game and I was hoping my teammates would follow suit. I try to play hard every night, not just for the stats but to get myself going, and get my teammates going. Now we just have to regroup and get ready for the next one."
"To say Marcus has been doing everything he can and has raised his level the last few weeks would be an understatement," Houston said. "If everybody dedicated themselves to playing at that high a level mentally, we would be in good shape."
Though the Spurs made just 6-of-18 3-point attempts, the Knicks were even worse, converting only 2-of-10. In addition, San Antonio's bench outscored New York's reserves, 32-10.
"You have to take the bad," Houston said. "I thought there was a lot of good we can take from tonight's game. A lot of teams come in here and take a loss against this team. They are one of the best teams in the league right now. On the road you just want to give yourself a chance to win and in the final minutes, I thought we did that."
San Antonio begins a four-game eastern road trip at Boston on Wednesday. The Spurs then play at Philadelphia, New Jersey and Washington.
"This road trip will be a test for us," Robinson said. "We're going up against four tough Eastern Conference teams. It will be a great test for us."