Knicks stifle streaking Spurs in Spurs Vs Knicks rematch at Madison Square Garden
The New York Knicks snapped the San Antonio Spurs' 11-game winning streak with a 114-89 victory at Madison Square Garden, a result that hinged on the Knicks' defensive surge and a decisive run in the first quarter. The spurs vs knicks matchup mattered because it halted San Antonio's late-season momentum and reinforced New York's defensive identity as the teams head into the next stretch of the schedule.
Early Spurs lead gave way to a 26-2 Knicks run
The Spurs began the game appearing in control, at one point taking a 19-7 lead on a Stephon Castle 3-pointer with 4: 56 remaining in the first quarter and earlier building what was described as a 12-point edge in the opening minutes. The game flipped when Jalen Brunson scored New York's final 11 points of the first, part of a 26-2 Knicks run that ended with Mikal Bridges throwing down a fast-break dunk off a Victor Wembanyama miss to make it 33-21. San Antonio closed the half by scoring the final five points to cut the lead to 51-41 and opened the third quarter down eight, but New York repeatedly answered Spurs attempts at rallies to keep the margin in double figures.
Spurs Vs Knicks: Wembanyama contained but turnover issues persisted
Victor Wembanyama, who had 42 points and 18 rebounds in his first visit to Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, was held to 25 points and 13 rebounds in this meeting and committed seven of San Antonio's 22 turnovers. Wembanyama also finished with four blocks. San Antonio's long-range weaponry, a major factor in an 11-game winning streak and a month in which the Spurs shot 50% overall and nearly 38% from 3-point range, was neutralized; the Spurs shot just 26% from 3 on Sunday, going 9-for-34, and Devin Vassell was the only Spur to make more than one triple, hitting 3-of-9.
Knicks defense described as "high level" by Mike Brown and led by consistent rotations
Knicks coach Mike Brown said he couldn't pinpoint whether Sunday was the team's best defensive performance of the season but called it a performance that "felt like it, " adding that the defense was "high level. " Brown noted, "Even the games we haven't scored a lot of points, like at Chicago and then Houston, our defense has gotten better. We had five guys on a string. " New York has been fifth in defensive rating over the past month at 107 points per 100 possessions, and the Knicks held the Spurs to a season-low output while keeping out of foul trouble for most of the day.
Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and bench spark the offense
Mikal Bridges had one of his best all-around games, finishing with 25 points, five 3-pointers, five rebounds and five steals — many leading to transition baskets — his highest scoring output since a 30-point game on Jan. 28 against Toronto and coming after a month in which he averaged 14. 4 points. Brunson supplied 24 points, four rebounds and seven assists and sparked the first-quarter run with his 11-point close to the period. Mohamed Diawara provided a surprise off the bench with 14 points while knocking down four of his 13 3-point tries. Landry Shamet's 3-pointer in the fourth helped seal the game, giving New York a 104-82 lead with 3: 37 remaining after the Knicks opened the quarter on a 17-6 run.
Aftermath: standings, schedule and San Antonio's road trip fatigue
The win boosted the Knicks to 39-22, keeping them level with the Boston Celtics at 39-22 going into Boston's Sunday night matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers and leaving New York with four wins in its last five and 14 wins in its last 18. The Spurs, who went undefeated in February, began March with the loss and were playing the fourth game of a five-game road trip; they appeared to run out of fuel in the fourth quarter, prompting coach Mitch Johnson to pull his starters and empty the bench. San Antonio will finish its Eastern road trip on Tuesday versus the 76ers and then begin a six-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons, whom the Spurs defeated last week, 114-103, in what was called one of the more impressive wins during their 11-game streak.
Team comments on approach and consistency
Knicks forward Josh Hart emphasized process and defensive consistency, saying, "Obviously, he's an extremely talented individual, but you know, for us, we have to continue to make strides defensively. I know offense is good, and we're going to keep getting better, and we have talented guys [on defense]. We have to make sure we bring that and hang our hat on that. " Hart added that the team must avoid lulls and "got to continue to build off this and not have lulls at this point. You know, it can't be up and down. " Coach Brown also spoke about Mikal Bridges' role and the team's evolution: "Just been a process, new coach, new system, defensively, offensively, not only that, new team or guys behind them. Guys don't always get the minutes and or the shots that they want. Our first standard is about sacrificing, and everybody in that room is willing to sacrifice to make sure that we're trying to achieve one common goal, and Mikal is one of those guys. "
