The Knicks took on the feisty San Antonio Spurs and ultimately won 117-114 in a highly entertaining game on Christmas Day.
Here are the takeaways…
-Goes with the usual starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Jos Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby And Karl-Anthony Cities New York, which has seen the most minutes on the floor together this season than any other starting five in the league, got off to a hot start, making the first four shots of the day.
-Makes its debut on Christmas Day, Victor Wembanyama came out early but couldn’t find his shot from beyond the arc and missed his first four 3-pointers. However, the 7-foot-3 phenom made an impact in other ways, grabbing four rebounds in the first quarter, along with two assists and two blocks, and finishing with 10 points after hitting back-to-back threes before the quarter expired .
-The three-ball didn’t fall for either team, especially the Knicks, but that wasn’t for lack of trying, as the pace was at full throttle from the jump. Bridges was the biggest contributor offensively, scoring nine points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field (1-for-1 from deep).
-Meanwhile, Anunoby, fresh off his stellar game against the Toronto Raptors, struggled to get going and finished the first quarter 1-for-6 from the floor. However, he did help on the glass with five rebounds (three offensive), tied with Hart for the most rebounds on the team, as Towns, against Wembanyama, was largely held in check in the first quarter (eight points, two rebounds). .
– Trailing 28-27 in the second quarter, San Antonio started to catch fire, outscoring New York 12-4, including an 8-0 run, to take a 39-32 lead that the head coach caused Tom Thibodeau to call a timeout. After trailing by as many as nine points, the Knicks went on a 17-6 run to take a two-point lead at 49-47 with 3:22 remaining in the half. From that point on, however, the attack stalled and the Spurs closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 58-51 lead into the locker room.
Despite his slow start, Wembanyama finished the half with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, sparking absolute fits for the Knicks. As for Wemby’s teammates, no other players went into halftime with double-digit points.
-In the third quarter, New York screamed out to an 8-1 run that turned into a 15-6 run that turned into a 23-13 run, giving the Knicks a three-point lead. During that long run, Towns carried his team and really came alive. From there, it was the duo of Brunson and Bridges, former teammates at Villanova, that exploded offensively, scoring 12 of New York’s final 14 points of the quarter.
-The Knicks ended the quarter on a 10-0 run, going five to five and outscoring San Antonio 37-25 in the frame. They did it all too, with just three made three-pointers, doing most of their damage inside the paint.
– However, the Spurs, who started the match as heavy underdogs, showed their fortitude and immediately hit back with an extended run of 19-9 to start the fourth quarter. Wembanyama once again led the way in the scoring barrage, tying the record for most three-pointers made at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day with six. He finished with 42 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, as the one-man show did it all.
Not to be outdone, Bridges finished with a season-high 41 points on an impressive 17-for-25 from the field (6-for-9 from deep) and stepped up in the final minutes of the game when his team needed it . him most to preserve the victory.
-Not known as the best offensive rebounding team this season with the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein And Mitchell Robinson on the board, New York had seventeen offensive boards to San Antonio’s eight, including one on the final shot of the game, keeping the Spurs from getting off a potential tying shot.
-Towns’ streak of 18 consecutive double-doubles came to an end in this one, as the center fell one rebound short of a double-double. He finished with 21 points and nine boards. However, the deficit was made up elsewhere, with players such as Hart (12), Precious Achiuwa (10) and even Brunson (seven) all contributed on the glass.
Game MVP: Mikal Bridges
Four points shy of tying his career high in points, Bridges deserves credit for carrying the Knicks on his back when they needed him most.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks hit the road again for a Friday night game against the Orlando Magic starting at 7 p.m
