Bradley shines, hits shot over Randle to edge out Knicks, 102-99.

Julius Randle was a force for the Knicks tonight.

Avery Bradley (28 points, 11-15, 4 steals, 2 blocks) sparked the Spurs road effort in the first half and commandeered the team to pull out the win, pulling up over Julius Randle to secure a four-point lead in the final minute and even getting the block on the bigger man. By the buzzer, the Knicks had two chances from three-point territory to tie the game after a miss by Ingram left New York with the final possession, but Marcus Morris Sr. (24 points, 6 rebounds, 3-5 3PT) and Kevin Knox II ( 1-8, 0-2 3PT) both misfired to end the exciting game that saw the Spurs cling to a modest margin of a lead before nearly letting it slip away.

"I leave my heart on that court every night, do what I gotta do to get us a W," Bradley told TNT's David Aldridge, fresh off his new two-year 32 million deal, and tonight he reminded everyone why the Spurs value him so. Bradley drove hard to the basket for the most part, protecting the lead, even hitting a clutch 3PT shot in the second half. "I'm still working with Chip to improve my three ball, but nothing stops me from driving to the hoop. I got hit a lot tonight, but I make ya pay at the stripe."

Bradley had that fire in his eyes tonight.

Mitchell Robinson (12 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks) was a presence down low for the Knicks, frustrating both Bradley and Dejounte Murray in the first half, but the Spurs also looked impressive on the defensive end, playing with heart and hustle, swatting shots to and fro for seven total blocks. The glass was a mini-war of its own, both teams tallying 52 total and the Spurs dishing 25-21 assists. The bench saved the day for the Spurs, finishing with a 31-14 advantage and also winning the paint 66-56. The quarters were scored: 26-20, SA; 31-29, SA; 22-21, SA; 23-29, NY.

Julius Randle scored 26 points with 7 rebounds, going 10-16 with 1 steal & 1 block. Rookie R.J. Barrett finished with 12 points and Dennis Smith Jr. had 11 points with 6 assists (4-12, 0-4 3PT). Frank Ntilikina was allowed to shoot, going a cold 1-5 and 0-3 from deep. The Spurs led by 16 at one point, despite having 14 turnovers and making only five shots from long range.

One of those perimeter shots came courtesy of Nik Stauskas, who finished with 5 points and obtained a clutch block down the stretch. "Yeah, he looked good tonight. We're working him into our offense, and moving forward try him out at the 2 spot more, let him have some more opportunity," Coach Pop said at the podium post-game, indicating that J.R. Smith will sit out against the Lakers as Omri Casspi gets slotted back in, granted a poor game by P.J. Tucker tonight. Taurean Prince looked better for 11 points and hitting a tough 3PT shot that kept the Knicks at bay in the third quarter. Brandon Ingram went a bit cold, but finished with 16 points and getting a nice block after turning the ball over on the other end. Jarrett Allen continues to impress the Spurs, tallying 11 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists after some thunderous dunks, getting the ball back after a miss and excelling in the P&R.

The Rest: Murray had 10 points, breaking even mostly against the tough interior defense in the first half; Jeremy Lin boosted the offense with 5 points and 5 assists. Timofey Mosgov didn't have the best game, but hit a clutch jumper in the fourth quarter for 6 points & 10 rebounds. With the Lakers next on the docket, the Spurs look to stand tall over the resurgent force, one of many in the ever-contentious western conference, and will need a solid effort to stay unbeaten at home.