Julian Champagnie's career night helps Spurs snap losing streak

San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) shoots a free throw in the first half against the New York Knicks. Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Julian Champagnie's career night helps Spurs snap brief losing streak

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Dec 31, 2025 10:27 PM ET

Over the previous three weeks, the San Antonio Spurs looked to have cemented themselves as arguably the best team in the NBA.

Three wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA Champions had San Antonio positioned as potentially the top threat atop the Western Conference. That was halted for a brief few days, though, with losses to the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Julian Champagnie gets his squad off the slide

San Antonio welcomed in the New York Knicks on Wednesday in what felt like a must-win game to prove its status as contenders. One player in particular that felt the pressure to perform well was Julian Champagnie.

Champagnie scored a career high 36 points, drilling a career best 11 three pointers in the Spurs 134-132 win. Champagnie is the second player in the NBA this season to knock down more than 10 threes in a game, hitting just one less than Steph Curry's 12 in his 48-point performance against Portland on Dec. 14.

HE'S UP TO 11 THREES

SPURS FRANCHISE RECORD FOR JULIAN CHAMPAGNIE! https://t.co/jzpXLqA3pW pic.twitter.com/T2Yh0ji0oO
— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2026

The big win also (potentially) came with an even bigger loss

When thinking of the current day Spurs, most minds gravitate towards the phenomenal Victor Wembanyama. The superstar forward was having an excellent game against New York before an injury took him out of the game.

Wembanyama left the game with 10:32 remaining in the fourth quarter after scoring 31 points and collecting 13 rebounds. He'd knocked down 10 of his 12 shots, as well as both free-throw attempts.

Victor Wembanyama appears to injure his left knee on this play. Based on the mechanism the concern would be

-Best case scenario: Hyperextension/Bone Bruise

-Worst case scenario: ACL tear

This is REALLY similar to Nikola Jokic’s knee injury video pic.twitter.com/JwJKiGDVia
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) January 1, 2026

San Antonio has shown success without its star

Wembanyama missed 12 games earlier this season due to injuries. The Spurs did not struggle in his absence, as they went 9-3 with one of the three wins against Oklahoma City.

If he is once again forced out of action for an extended period of time, Wembanyama will need his teammates to once again step up in his absence and prove they can continue to win without one of the game's top stars.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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