Knicks snap 4-game losing streak with 94-90 defensive stand against Spurs

NEW YORK — The Knicks showcased their most impressive defensive stand of the season in a 94-90 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. Their increased defensive effort was attributed to an intense film session on Saturday where players voiced their opinions with the coaches’ defensive game plan.

“We really had a say so,” said Lance Thomas, who played in his first game since suffering an an orbital fracture against Toronto. “Then the coaches gave their input. And then we figured it out. ... Most of the time we don’t really have the say so. We listen to our coaches.”

During the session, the players preached trust on defense, making the second and third rotations to help their teammates. The Knicks also made an adjustment to move their big men up from the paint in an effort to force downhill attacking guards into making quicker decisions.

The result was visible. San Antonio shot just 36.3 percent from the field and made only six of its 29 three-point attempts. While Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points on 13-for-27 shooting, only two other Spurs players scored in double-digits.

“I always believed they were capable of (playing defense),” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters during his postgame press conference. “I think the practice and looking at the tape, them talking amongst themselves about trusting each other I think the trust came out tonight.”

New York pulled away with a victory despite allowing San Antonio to attempt 23 more field goals and win the offensive rebounding margin, 21-5.

“I feel like we played 40-something minutes of defense,” said Derrick Rose, who finished with 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. “It wasn’t one person. It was the entire team. We played team defense tonight and we held everyone accountable.”

On a night where former Knicks greats, including Bernard King, Larry Johnson, and Latrell Sprewell, were honored on the jumbotron, Carmelo Anthony moved ahead of Charles Barkley for No. 25 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Anthony finished with 25 points on 9-for-21 shooting, including timely buckets to help the Knicks improve to a 23-33 record on the season.

“It’s an honor,” Anthony told reporters after the game. “Any time you can move on up on that list, especially to 25. It’s definitely an honor.”

The Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided what could have been the first 0-5 home stretch in franchise history. Kristaps Porzingis shot just 4-for-10 from the field, but recorded four blocks and made three of his five three-point attempts. New York outscored the Spurs by 20 in all lineups with Porzingis on the floor.

“The blocked shots were huge,” Hornacek said. “There was a stretch, when the game was close, they probably thought they had a nice shot but KP came and blocked it. I thought he was more aggressive.”

The Knicks are still several games behind the Detroit Pistons for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, and Anthony acknowledged it will take more than one win to clear the skies of the dark cloud that’s been hanging over the franchise mired in controversy in recent weeks.

“I won’t say the cloud is gone in one day,” he said. “It snowed the other day. And it’s still snow outside. I wouldn’t say the cloud is gone, but for us to come out and get the win tonight is definitely a relief from everything that’s going on.”