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The San Antonio Spurs came into Sunday’s matchup with the New York Knicks riding a high. They have been playing well on an 11-game winning streak, chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference. That streak came to a screeching halt, as the Knicks held San Antonio to less than 90 points for the first time this season.
The Spurs couldn’t find their footing against a tough New York defense. Even with Victor Wembanyama having somewhat of a bounce-back game, the team couldn’t get into any flow around him.
Wembanyama had 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the win. He also had 7 of the team’s 22 turnovers. The Knicks went with Karl-Anthony Towns as Wemby’s primary defender, which had mixed results. Here, KAT falls for the pump fake, allowing Wembanyama to get the easy slam.
The Spurs did everything they could to get Wembanyama involved offensively. They ran a ton of pin-down screens from the corners to get him going toward the basket. The Knicks would switch the screen, giving Wembanyama an easy look at the rim with a smaller defender in front of him. The result here is an emphatic slam.
Wemby didn’t just score on dunks. This drive to the hoop shows why guarding him with an opposing big man on the perimeter is a defensive mistake. He gets an empty side isolation here, where the closest help defender is Jalen Brunson. Wemby gets right around Mitchell Robinson and then goes basically through Brunson for the reverse finish.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown told his team before the game not to fall for Wembanyama’s pump fakes. Here we see why. When Robinson jumps out at Wemby’s fake, it leaves no size around the rim to contest him. He can get to the cup easily for a poster jam over OG Anunoby.
Devin Vassell cooled down a bit from the last three games when it seemed like he couldn’t miss. Still, he had 18 points on 7-14 shooting from the field, and 3-9 from three-point range. These corner threes in transition are shots in the arm for the offense. Early in the game, the Spurs were running the break and getting great looks, but that run was the only successful scoring stretch they had in the game.
Vassell’s ability to not only stretch the floor from deep, but also put the ball on the deck and attack the defense, is key to the Spurs’ offense. San Antonio has a lot of players who can get to the paint, and some who can shoot, but not many who can do both. Vassell fills that niche all while being the team’s fourth offensive option, which has led to a lot of good looks for him this season.
The Spurs struggled with their shot selection on Sunday. The Knicks’ defense didn’t allow them many easy shots, which meant the team often settled for contested looks. This pull-up three from Vassell was perhaps a bit aggressive, but with Brunson in front of him, he knew he could rise and nail the three. Vasell might get more lift on his jumper than any three-point shooter in the league.
One last Vassell highlight, because it was oh-so-pretty. He attacks a hard closeout from Mikal Bridges, and hits the scoop reverse finish between Anunoby and Towns—a thing of basketball beauty.
There are times when Dylan Harper looks a bit like a taller, stronger Brunson. He has great footwork and is left-hand dominant just like the Knicks’ star guard. He lacks the shooting that Brunson has, but he has the ability to play at his own speed and use crafty finishes. Here, he just kind of bullies Brunson, bumping him off of him and then scoring over the top.
Harper’s burst this season has been surprising. When he wants to, he can fly to the rim and finish through or above contact. Here, he has a straight line drive and gets a tough lefty finish to go over KAT.
The Spurs will get a day off before heading to Philadelphia for a matchup with the 76ers on Tuesday. Check out the video below to see full highlights from the game against the Knicks.