Victors Over Victor; New York Knicks Wallop Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
With the opponent from their last NBA Finals appearance visiting Madison Square Garden with their latest weapon, the New York Knicks put forth a championship effort.
New York is officially in the midst of its first winning streak of the 2023-24 season after spoiling top draft pick Victor Wembanyama's first time on the MSG stage to the tune of a 126-105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night
Wembanyama was mostly an afterthought in defeat, hitting only 4-of-14 from the field and scoring most of his 14 points in a futile comeback after missing his first seven attempts. The 7-3 French-born phenom was mostly hounded by Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein in the paint, embarking on what's perhaps the toughest outing of his premature career to date.
Such struggles led those gathered at MSG to regale the rookie with chants of "overrated" as he took free throws in the second half.
Wembanyama (in white) guarded by RJ Barrett (9) and Isaiah Hartenstein
Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Knicks' headlining triumvirate of Jalen Brunson (25), Julius Randle (23), and RJ Barrett (21) each scored at least 20 while Immanuel Quickley (19) and Isaiah Hartenstein (13) got to double figures off the bench. Randle (16) and Mitchell Robinson (12) united for 28 rebounds and matched San Antonio's entire output on the offensive boards until the final minutes with a combined nine.
Following Monday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Knicks (4-4) put forth what was far and away their most consistent effort of the season. En route to a lead that reached as high as 30, New York scored the first 13 points of the game, nearly half of that tally created by triples from Barrett and Quentin Grimes. That couple opened a barrage of 19 triples (on 42 attempts) with Barrett and Brunson sinking five each.
New York also tied a single-game franchise record by losing only three turnovers, limiting such mistakes to a trio for the first time since 2018.
Though co-leading scorer Devin Vassell played after he was listed as doubtful on the pregame injury report, San Antonio (3-5) lost its third in a row and endured another learning experience. With Vassell and Keldon Johnson ailing and Wembanyama struggling, Jeremy Sochan led the Spurs with 16 points.
A rematch between the Knicks and Spurs is scheduled for late March. In the meantime, the Knicks will look to make it three wins in a row on Sunday afternoon when a three-game homestand ends against the Charlotte Hornets (12 p.m. ET, MSG).
