Spurs Vs Nets — Spurs win 126-110 for 11th straight, finish February undefeated
In the spurs vs nets matchup on Thursday night in New York, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-110 to extend their winning streak to 11 games, finish February undefeated and move to 43-16.
Spurs Vs Nets: scoreline and statistical leaders
Julian Champagnie led San Antonio with 26 points, shooting 6-of-9 on 3-pointers, and added three steals and two blocks. Stephon Castle scored 18 points and made 10-of-12 free throws. Devin Vassell had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists while hitting 4-of-7 from three. Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. The Spurs improved to 43-16 with the 126-110 victory.
How the game unfolded at Madison Square Garden
The Spurs took control early. Victor Wembanyama won the opening tip and fed a cutting Stephon Castle for a two-handed dunk just 13 seconds into the game. Castle had 13 first-quarter points as San Antonio led 36-22 after one. San Antonio extended the lead to 48-26 on a Champagnie 3 with 2: 20 left in the second quarter and led 71-56 at halftime.
Brooklyn opened the third quarter with a 13-4 run — a spurt that cut the deficit to 75-69 with 8: 34 remaining in the period and was described as a 13-4 run in the first 3: 26 of the frame. The Spurs answered by outscoring the Nets 29-15 to close the quarter and finish the third up 104-84.
Bench production and Brooklyn contributors
Brooklyn got contributions from reserves. Day'Ron Sharpe had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench; Danny Wolf also supplied 14 points off the Brooklyn bench. Michael Porter Jr. provided 14 rebounds for the Nets. The loss was part of a skid for Brooklyn that stretched to six straight and dropped the Nets to 15-43, the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and third-worst in the NBA.
What the win means for San Antonio’s run toward the top seed
The 11-game streak is the third-longest in the NBA this season, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder's 16 straight and the Detroit Pistons' 13 straight. The Spurs' last loss came on Jan. 31, a 111-106 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets. Coupled with the Thunder's loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, San Antonio is now 1. 5 games back of Oklahoma City for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. San Antonio has 23 games remaining on the schedule; Oklahoma City has 22. The two teams do not meet again this regular season.
This 11-0 February marks the Spurs' third undefeated month in franchise history and their first undefeated month since a 16-0 March during the 2013-14 season.
Player reaction, coach's take and related coverage
Champagnie said "it means everything" to return to New York, where he played college basketball at St. John's and grew up on Staten Island, and he told the Spurs broadcast he had to buy 17 tickets for family and friends. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game, "It feels like the players are finding different ways to win. "
The matchup had also drawn attention from betting models: a published model released picks and odds for the Spurs vs. Nets matchup for Thursday, February 26.
Next up: Knicks on Sunday and a chance to tighten gap with Thunder
San Antonio crosses the East River to face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday in a nationally televised matinee at 1 p. m. ET. By that game, the Spurs could be within a single game of Oklahoma City, who host the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The Spurs have 23 games left on their regular-season slate.
