Knicks Hold Spurs to Shocking Season-Low Numbers

It snapped their 11-game winning streak, while a 25-point deficit is the largest that San Antonio has lost by this campaign.

The biggest change for New York was its 3-point defense. In a shocking loss on New Year’s Eve, when the Knicks blew a 19-point lead, the Spurs made 14 of 38 3-point attempts, led by Julian Champagnie, who knocked down 11 out of 17 himself.

This time around, Champagnie was 1 of 3 from long range. As a team, the Spurs shot 9 of 34 from beyond the arc, having one major component of their offensive attack stifled.

What helped New York set the tone was a dominant stretch in the first half between the first and second quarters. Jalen Brunson caught fire near the end of the first stanza, taking full advantage of Stephon Castle heading to the bench for a rest.

His teammates would build on that positive momentum, putting together what ended up being a 26-2 run that included a 19-0 stretch for the Knicks. ESPN Insights shared that it is the longest unanswered streak an opponent has had against San Antonio this season.

It was a game completed dominated by New York regardless of who was on the court. Thirteen Knicks players received minutes in the game, and none of them had a plus/minus ratio that was negative.

It was the exact opposite for San Antonio. All 14 players who got into the game had a negative plus/minus ratio, with the best mark being recorded by Devin Vassell, who was -2 in 35 minutes of action.

New York certainly has what it takes to perform at a high level against upper-echelon competition; they just have to find that level more consistently.