The Knicks offense started the game in shambles. Then Jalen Brunson undid it.
And they never looked back.
Rising Spurs had won 11 straight and looked like an elite team with title aspirations. And since blowing a double-digit lead to the Spurs on New Year’s Eve, the Knicks had mostly dragged their feet.
But Sunday’s performance mirrored their performance in the NBA Cup Final against the Spurs, who defeated the Knicks 114-89 at Madison Square Garden in an afternoon matinee. This was a statement that they can still compete with – and take charge of – the NBA’s best.
Before and during that Cup victory, the Knicks seemed like real contenders. But since that game, the Knicks have all too often lacked that identity, especially against other perceived contenders. However, it resurfaced on Sunday.
Brunson, after missing his first three shots from the field, scored the final eleven Knicks points to end the first quarter and they somehow had a one-point lead in the second quarter. Five of those points came on five-point possessions, when Brunson flagrantly fouled Dylan Harper while taking a three-pointer – he hit two of three free throws, and after the Knicks retained possession, he had another and-1 on Harper.
Then the Knicks opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run – part of the 19-0 and 26-2 runs dating back to the first quarter – to take a twelve-point lead before the Spurs called a timeout. That 19-0 run was the longest unanswered run the Spurs have allowed this season. The Knicks shot 52.2 percent from the field during a scorching second quarter and went into halftime up ten points. Their lead never fell below eight points the rest of the way.
Mikal Bridges picked up in the third quarter where Brunson, who finished with 24 points, left off in the first half. He delivered one of his most efficient shooting performances of the year, with a team-high 25 points. He went 10-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Fourteen of those points came in the third quarter, when the Knicks largely traded baskets with the Spurs and maintained their lead. He also had five steals, picking off Harper’s pass and dunking on the other end midway through the fourth quarter to increase the Knicks’ lead to 18 points. Then Bridges picked off De’Aaron Fox’s pass later in the quarter and set up Landry Shamet for a dunk, extending the Knicks’ lead to 19 points and providing an exclamation point.
On the other hand, it was one of the Knicks’ best defensive showings all year. Spurs’ 89 points were their lowest of the year – six points less than their previous low.
Victor Wembanyama, who had some of the best games of his career against the Knicks, finished with 25 points. But the Knicks didn’t let him ruin the game, as he so often does. They matched Karl-Anthony Towns with him on that end to start the match, and a big second quarter for Wembanyama revolved around OG Anunoby guarding him. The Knicks also forced Wembanyama into seven turnovers. He had just two points in the fourth quarter.
Overall, the Knicks held the Spurs to 41.6 percent shooting from the field and 26.5 percent shooting from three-point range.
Towns took just nine shots and finished with 12 points, but he recorded another double-double, adding 14 rebounds – five on the offensive glass.
Spurs’ dynamic young backcourt of Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell, along with the experienced Fox, have the ability to disrupt opposing ballhandlers. But they were barely bothered by the Knicks guards on Sunday.
Sunday’s Knicks looked like the NBA Cup Knicks. It was a necessary reminder of what this team’s ceiling is when they’re firing on all cylinders.
Larry David sat on the right. He was treated to a nice, pretty good win.
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