![Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs to a victory over the Knicks on Saturday night. [Image via Blasting News image library/inquisitr.com]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/3/26/660x290/b_502x220x82/kawhi-leonard-led-the-spurs-to-a-victory-over-the-knicks-on-saturday-night-image-via-blasting-news-image-libraryinquisitrcom_1231703.jpg "Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs to a victory over the Knicks on Saturday night. [Image via Blasting News image library/inquisitr.com]")
Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs have already clinched their playoff spot, but that may not be enough for Gregg Popovich's crew. The team captured a 108-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night as they look to contend for the top spot in the Western Conference standings.
The win keeps the team on pace as they'll have one more game against the team above them coming up. Here's the latest on how Leonard and the Spurs defeated the Knicks Saturday evening in San Antonio.
Knicks vs. Spurs game recap
As mentioned, the night belonged to MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard who finished with a game-high 29 points.
Leonard shot 11-for-18 from the field including four three-point shots, while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists. Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge were also key contributors as each player had 19 points and 10 rebounds for double-doubles.
The Knicks had a pair of players each score 24 points in the loss. Guard Derrick Rose and center Willie Hernangomez were the two top scorers, with the center also grabbing 13 boards. Hernangomez will see a major upswing in his minutes player after recent news of Joakim Noah's 20-game suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
The win came down to overall efficiency as San Antonio didn't shoot better, but just took more shots than their opponents.
In addition, the Spurs shot only eight free throws all night, nearly half of what New York shot, showing how well they played this contest to get the win.
NBA standings & what's next
The win moved San Antonio to 56-16 overall and just two games behind the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference lead. The Spurs have a big game coming up on Monday as they'll host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m.
Eastern Time.
The loss dropped New York to 27-46 as they are trailing five other teams including the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 8 spot in the East. New York is currently 8-1/2 games behind the Miami Heat for the final spot, but seems destined for the NBA Draft lottery this year. They'll take on the Pistons on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time in New York.
