by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com
In what could be an NBA Finals preview, the red-hot San Antonio Spurs (43-16, second in the Western Conference) are on the road facing the New York Knicks (38-22, third in the Eastern Conference) this afternoon at Madison Square Garden on ABC. The Spurs have enjoyed an extended three-night stay in New York as their last game was against the Nets in Brooklyn on Thursday night.
This is the third and final regular season meeting between the teams, but the second official regular season matchup. New York and San Antonio first met in the championship game of the NBA Emirates Cup in-season tournament on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas. The Knicks prevailed 124-113. Despite New York getting to hoist an NBA Cup trophy, the game did not count as a win or loss in the standings for either team.
San Antonio rallied for a 134-132 win against New York at home on Dec. 31 in the first official regular season matchup between the teams. New York overcame a 19-point (71-52) third quarter deficit to pull out the victory. The Knicks have won five straight games at home against the Spurs. San Antonio’s last win at Madison Square Garden occurred in November 2019.
San Antonio is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is 227.5.
WHAT BOTH TEAMS DID IN THEIR PREVIOUS GAME
San Antonio rolled past the host Brooklyn Nets 126-110 on Thursday night for their 11th straight win. The Spurs never trailed in this game. Julian Champagnie scored a game-high 26 points (10-14 FG, 6-9 3Pt) and added 3 steals and 2 blocks in 24 minutes. Stephon Castle registered 18 points (4-12 FG, 10-12 FT, 0-4 3 Pt) 5 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes. All five starters for San Antonio scored in double figures.
San Antonio is seeking its 12th straight win this afternoon. It’s their longest winning streak since they won 13 in a row during the 2015-16 season.
New York mauled Milwaukee 127-98 on the road on Friday night. Jalen Brunson scored 22 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter which ignited New York’s blowout victory. The Knicks led 38-30 after the first quarter, and were up by 20 (77-57) at halftime. OG Anunoby added 24 points (8-10 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and 2 steals in 28 minutes for New York. The Knicks have won 3 of their last 4 games.
GAME STORYLINES: SAN ANTONIO
After winning 2023 NBA draft lottery and selecting highly touted 7-foot-4 center Victor Wembanyama — one of the most ballyhooed draft prospects in NBA history — with the No. 1 overall pick, most NBA observers believed instant success would be in store for the San Antonio Spurs. While Wembanyama did live up to the hype in terms of individual success, the Spurs posted records of 22-60 and 34-48 in his first 2 seasons.
Everything has come together for San Antonio this season as Victor Wembanyama continues his stellar level of play in year three, while the Spurs organization assembled a supporting cast around him that is also playing at an elite level. San Antonio enters this afternoon’s contest at MSG with a sparkling 43-16 record, which is the second-best record in the loaded Western Conference and third-best record overall in the NBA.
San Antonio made a pair of shrewd moves after drafting Victor Wembanyama which has also contributed to their outstanding record this season. They traded for star point guard De’Aaron Fox in February 2024 after he became disenchanted with the Sacramento Kings. The Spurs then drafted UConn guard Stephon Castle fourth overall in the 2024 NBA draft in June 2024. He went on to win the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year.
After being limited to just 46 games last year due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, Victor Wembanyama has come back with a vengeance in year three. The 22-year-old French phenom is averaging 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.8 blocks, 1 steal and 1.7 threes on 50.1 percent shooting from the floor across 45 games. Wembanyama will participate in his 46th game of the season today, which will match the total amount of games he played last year.
The aforementioned duo of De’Aaron Fox (19 ppg, 6.2 asts, 3.8 asts, 1.3 stls, 1.9 threes, 48.4% from 2, 35.1% from 3 in 50 gms) and Stephon Castle (16.6 ppg, 6.8 asts, 4.9 rebs, 1.3 stls, 1 threes, 46.7% from 2 in 49 gms) are now San Antonio’s second and third leading scorers behind Victor Wembanyama. The prolific production of Wembanyama, Fox and Castle give the Spurs a championship level trio in the mold of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili who won three championships for the Spurs.
GAME STORYLINES: NEW YORK
For about a 20-year period (2002-2022), the once-proud New York Knicks franchise became a laughingstock due to poor drafting, poor trades and poor free agent signings which led to an abundance of losing seasons. One unheralded move in July 2022 changed everything. That unheralded was signing free agent guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million. The rest has been history as Brunson’s quickly transformed himself into an elite NBA player and almost single-handedly turned the Knicks into an Eastern Conference power.
In his first 3 seasons (2023-2025) with the Knicks, Jalen Brunson was named All-NBA twice — 2024 and 2025 — and led the Knicks to the playoffs all three years, winning four playoff series over those three seasons. To put things in proper context, New York won a total of 3 playoff series from 2000-2022 prior to Brunson’s arrival. Last season, Brunson led the Knicks to its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000.
Jalen Brunson continues his magnificent play this year in his fourth season with the Knicks. The 29-year-old, Villanova product is averaging 26.7 points, 6.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 threes on 47.1 percent shooting from 2 and 37.9 percent shooting from long distance across 55 games. He was named an All-Star for a third straight season. Brunson also has the Knicks primed to make another deep playoff run this year as they are currently third in the East.
The foursome of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns (19.9 ppg, 11.7 rebs, 1.6 threes, 47.7% from 2, 37% from 3 in 56 gms), athletic forward OG Anunoby (16.2 ppg, 5.3 rebs, 1.7 stls, 2 threes, 47.3% from 2, 35.9% from 3 in 46 gms), swingman Mikal Bridges (15.6 ppg, 4.1 rebs, 4 asts, 1.5 stls, 2.1 threes, 49.9% from 2, 38.2% from 3 in 60 gms) and versatile guard/forward Josh Hart (11.9 ppg, 7.4 rebs, 5.2 asts, 1.1 stls, 1.5 threes, 49.1% from 2, 39.2% from 3 in 48 gms) round out one of the most talented starting units in the NBA.
Center Mitchell Robinson (5.1 ppg, 8.7 rebs, 1.2 blks 69.4% from 2 in 43 gms), shooting guard Landry Shamet (10 ppg, 2.3 threes, 45.6% from 2, 42.9% from 3 in 35 gms) and newly acquired guard Jose Alvarado (9.1 ppg, 3.8 asts, 1.8 stls in 8 gms w/NY) have prominent roles off the bench for New York. The Knicks acquired the New York native Alvarado at the trade deadline from New Orleans on Feb. 5. His quickness, three-point shooting and penchant for getting steals has and will provide a huge boost for the Knicks.
THE PICK: KNICKS (+1.5)
San Antonio comes into this game red-hot as they’ve won 11 games in a row. But they’ve had an extended stay in New York — due to playing on the road against the Brooklyn Nets in their previous game on Thursday night — and I think they may enter this game slightly unfocused due to enjoying the New York social scene. I expect New York to give an inspired effort in front of a frenzied, celebrity-filled, sold-out MSG crowd. Take the Knicks and the Point(s) this afternoon.
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