Knicks the victor, over Wembanyama & Spurs

Spurs Streak Snapped

After beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, the New York Knicks (38-22, 3rd in the East) returned home to Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon to face Victor Wembanyama and the streaking San Antonio Spurs (43-16, 2nd in the West). The Spurs just went the entire month of February without a loss, winning 11 straight games.

Three weeks after our failed trip to Boston, the schedule allowed my wife and me to attend this game together, our fourth this season and our first since the Raptors came to MSG in November. She was beginning to consider herself bad luck. We’ve seen the Knicks win just that one time versus the Raptors, to go with losses in Miami and Orlando, and we’ll call it the no-contest¹ in Boston.

Game Day

Prior to this game:

• The Spurs and Knicks had played 106 regular-season games, with the Spurs holding a 60-46 all-time record and winning their previous matchup this season in San Antonio, 134-132.

• However, the Knicks hold a 1-0 record against the Spurs in the NBA Cup Finals.

Seating Chart

I tracked prices for this game on the apps a week in advance. This may have been the most sought-after ticket in town. At over $350, it was certainly the most expensive ticket of the season so far, and I can see a couple of obvious reasons for that. First, a Sunday matinee game is typically harder to get because it usually features a good team, and the early start makes it ideal for families with young children. Second, the chance to see Seven-foot-four-inch-tall Victor Wembanyama, who only comes to town once a season, is just too rare an opportunity to pass up.

I sat in the Bridge level for the previous home game, when the Houston Rockets came to town. After sitting on the South Bridge for the last home game, I found us tickets on the North Bridge for this one. This part of the Bridge was closer to center court and didn’t have the built-in table/monitor at our seats, unlike some other Bridge seats. Still, sitting in the second row of the Bridge gave us the option to stand up without blocking anyone else’s view, which, for me, is a plus.

Injury Report

Mason Plumlee was out for the Spurs, while Miles McBride remains out for the Knicks.

Game Notes

To start the game, Victor Wembanyama won the tip, but look closely at the photo above as Wemby employs a little sneaky move, holding down Karl-Anthony Towns’ right arm with his right hand as he elevated for the ball. No foul was called.

The home crowd was ready for this one. There were D-E-F-E-N-S-E-! chants from the jump, followed by LET’S GO KNICKS chants on offense. The Knicks’ offense started the game cold, going 2-13 from the field and 0-4 from long distance over the first six minutes of the quarter. It was only by playing good defense that they were able to somewhat limit the Spurs' ability to capitalize on their poor shooting.

Despite a decent-to-good defensive effort, the Knicks quickly trailed by double digits, with the Spurs taking a 19-7 lead. I could feel my wife’s anxiety creeping in. The anguish, however, would be short-lived.

With the Spurs up 19-11, Jalen Brunson went on his own 11-2 run. First, he nailed a three-pointer from the left wing. The Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox answered with a jumpshot, and then Brunson attempted another three-pointer while being fouled by Dylan Harper, which was ruled a flagrant foul, granting Brunson three free throws and possession of the ball back to New York. Brunson made two of his three free throws and then converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way² on the next possession, tagging Harper again with the foul. The Spurs still held a 21-19 lead and the ball, but Wembanyama missed a three-pointer while Brunson made a three-pointer, flipping the lead to the Knicks, 22-21. The Knicks would never trail the rest of the way. They went on a 26-2 run and extended their lead to 36-23. At halftime, the Knicks led by ten, 51-41, completing a 44-22 run since 4:05 remained in the first quarter.

So if you’re tracking at home, for over 16 minutes, or 1/3 of a basketball game, the Knicks held the league's hottest team to 22 points, while doubling their output. With momentum on the Knicks’ side, the game felt winnable, and my wife felt happy. The Knicks, a team that has struggled since the Cup (20-15 W-L record prior to this game), made the Spurs look not only beatable but also easy to beat. My only concern was a let-down in the second half.

Thankfully, my concerns would be unfounded. Mikal Bridges chose the third quarter of today’s game to have his best offensive quarter in a month³. Bridges had a 14-point quarter. He was 5-7 from the field overall in the period and made four of his six three-point shot attempts. The Knicks led, 80-69, after three quarters of play.

The Knicks held the Spurs to seven points over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, extending their lead to nineteen, 95-76, and eliminating any remaining drama from the game. The final score was New York 114, San Antonio 89.

Mikal Bridges led the Knicks with 25 points and added 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Afterwards, in the locker room, he was named the Defensive Player of the Game, although I might’ve awarded it to OG Anunoby, who alternated between guarding Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. Not many dudes can do that.

Wembanyama had 25 points for the Spurs, Brunson scored 24 for the Knicks, and Mohamed Diawara added some firepower off the bench, with 14 points. Karl- Anthony Towns, who continues to sacrifice for the team⁴, had 12 points and 14 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds.

After the game, as my wife and I crossed the partially closed-off 33rd Street on Eighth Avenue, she told me to take out my phone. I turned around just in time to snap this photo of Mitchell Robinson leaving the game in his Ford Mustang.

Drive safe, Mitch. Drive safe, everybody.

Up Next

The Knicks have a day off, then fly to Toronto for a game against the 5th-place Raptors on Tuesday, before returning to the Garden to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. I’m skipping Toronto, but I’ll be at MSG on Wednesday for the Thunder game. It won’t be easy playing the Thunder on a back-to-back, but the Thunder will be on the second game of a back-to-back as well, flying to New York after their game in Chicago on Tuesday.

Now that March is upon us, we’re in the homestretch of the season. The Knicks have 21 games remaining. I plan to attend nine of those games to complete my goal of seeing the Knicks play every team once this season. The teams I’ve yet to see are:

The Thunder, Lakers, Clippers, Pacers, Pelicans, Hornets, Bulls, Hawks, and Celtics

The Knicks’ record in games I’ve attended this year: 12 - 8

Home record: 8 - 1

Away record: 4 - 7

1. ‘No contest’ is a technical term used in some combat sports to describe a fight that ends for reasons outside the fighters’ hands, without a winner or loser.

2. A traditional three-point play consists of a made two-point shot, during which the shooter draws a foul and makes the ensuing free throw.

3. Bridges went for 19 points in the third quarter of the game in Toronto on January 28th.

4. This season, Towns' minutes have decreased by 4 mpg, and he is taking four fewer shots per game on average.