Jeff Hornacek still is talking about starting Joakim Noah when he is healthy — likely after the All-Star break. But that could change if Willy Hernangomez continues to spark wins as a starter.
Hernangomez made his first start as a center, paired with Kristaps Porzingis, and the Knicks shut down the Spurs, 94-90 in a Garden stunner.
Making a huge reverse layup down the stretch, Hernangomez finished with 12 points with nine rebounds, making 6-of-8 shots. His pairing with his former Sevilla teammate was a good connection again as Porzingis played well defensively and was a team-leading plus-20. Meanwhile Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge was subpar — 5-of-16, 15 points.
“It was great to start — in Madison Square Garden, it’s unbelievable,’’ Hernangomez said. “It’s always fun to play with KP and today we got a chance to play together from the beginning. KP and me know each other and trust each other. He got my back. I had his back.’’
Hernangomez made only one previous start this season — in Washington two weeks ago at power forward when Porzingis had food poisoning.
Asked if he likes the starting experience, “I like to start. I like to come off the bench. I like to play. But obviously I’d like to start and do my best. It’s more important we got the win.’’
Knicks president Phil Jackson views Hernangomez and Porzingis as the starting frontcourt tandem of the future, with Noah eventually becoming the league’s most expensive backup. Hornacek still likes Noah’s intangibles. The Knicks have one more game before the All-Star break — in Oklahoma City. Hornacek said he’d like to rest Noah’s hamstring one more game to get him a full week off after that.
Lance Thomas’ return with a mask drew raves from everyone in the locker room. Thomas, playing for the first time since Jan. 15 because of a broken orbital bone with a broken orbital bone, slowed down Spurs star Kawhi Leonard during his 16:55 of action. From all corners, the club talked about Thomas being missed more than anyone could imagine.
“Lance always brings the defensive edge and the right mindset,’’ Porzingis said. “Maybe that’s why we’ve been so bad defensively.’’
“His defensive aggressiveness helps the other guys,’’ Hornacek said. “It helps to see how hard you can go. When he is getting after it you almost have to do that to your guy.’’
Thomas’ return meant slumping rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas did not play.
Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich was typically difficult when asked about the Knicks’ woes. Popovich said “Not my problem’’ when asked both about the Charles Oakley arrest/ban and the Carmelo Anthony-Phil Jackson feud.
Though Jackson took his snipes at the Spurs dynasty when he ran the Lakers, he and Popvovich met after the game to talk.
“I loved playing against those guys,’’ Popovich said. “I talked about it when [Shaquille O’Neal] was gone as the breakup of the Soviet Union. I enjoyed playing those guys. Obviously Phil is a great coach. It was a rivalry.”
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