New York Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs 126-105: A Garden’s greeting for Wembanyama

The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 126-105. The Knicks had a complete team effort to dampen Victor Wembanyama’s Garden visit.

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The New York Knicks welcomed Victor Wembanyama to Madison Square Garden with a drubbing of the San Antonio Spurs 126 to 105. New York’s bigs played with chips on their shoulders as Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein shut down the Spurs phenom while scoring 21 points against him. The rest of the offense rolled with its best ball movement of the season, leading to equally effective shooting. Future star Wembanyama didn’t make a field goal until the Spurs were down well over 20 points, and the game was out of reach.

New York dominated the match-up and showed why they’re a cut above the teams toiling for a play-in or elusive playoff spot. The Knicks’ big three scored over 20 points each, with Immanuel Quickley 1 point shy of doing the same. But there were other significant contributions, so let’s look at the players’ performances.

New York’s big three pour on the points

Jalen Brunson: 25 PTS (8/19 FG, 5/8 3PT, 4/4 FT), 6 AST, 2 REB in 33 mins

Jalen Brunson started the game facilitating with 3 assists, including a lob to Mitchell Robinson, before scoring any points. Then Brunson proceeded to drain three-pointer after three-pointer en route to an impressive offensive performance. He continually slipped in and out of pockets of the defense and picked out teammates in advantageous positions.

This performance is only halfway to Jalen Brunson’s best. He shot 3/11 inside the arc, and while the Spurs’ length played a role, he continued to miss shots he’d knocked down regularly last season. Brunson has another level to reach, even as his scoring and playmaking controlled this match-up.

My last note is about Brunson drawing two charges in this game. The diminutive PG has a knack for drawing offensive fouls, though I panicked when Zach Collings almost took his head off on the second charge. New York’s leader grabs a 3.5 out of 5, with another level to reach before he cracks the 4’s.

Quentin Grimes: 8 PTS (3/5 FG, 2/4 3PT), 3 AST, 1 REB in 19 mins

Quentin Grimes got going on offense, even if his stat line is pedestrian. Grimes started the game by driving through an RJ Barrett screen for two points at the rim. His game has sorely lacked forays into the paint this season, but this was a friendly reminder that the defender is more versatile than simple three-point shooting. However, Grimes did take and make the jumpers when he had opportunities.

Another sign of rhythm was Grimes’ quick decision-making. Recently, the shooter has had a habit of pump-faking on every pass he catches. That can be a valuable weapon but can also delay quick action slightly. Grimes stopped pump-faking and made faster swing passes, leading to easy corner threes for teammates and a season-high for his assists.

While Grimes added to his offensive output, he didn’t let up on defense. He’s a reliable stopper on the defensive end, and this was his second game in rhythm of the past three. The three-and-D prospect is coming into his own, with a 2.5 out of 5.

RJ Barrett: 24 PTS (8/17 FG, 5/9 3PT, 3/3 FT), 6 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL in 32 mins

RJ Barrett’s early run continued as he shot lights out from deep against the Spurs. Barrett was locked in, and the catch-and-shoot opportunities piled up. He found mixed results when driving into the bigs on San Antonio but still held his own for 3/8 inside the arc while drawing 3 free throws.

The most impressive part of Barrett’s game was his playmaking. His 6 assists started with a drive and kick to Grimes, then picked up with dimes to Randle and Mitch. But RJ also mixed in various smart passes that turned into hockey assists, with teammates continuing the ball movement. New York had four players crack 5 assists, but I’d rate Barrett’s as the best passing performance on the team.

It’s wise to temper expectations; we’ve only seen six games from Barrett, and his three-point shooting is bound to cool off eventually. But it’s getting harder to ignore that this looks like a leap, and it likely began with last season’s playoffs. Barrett gets a 4 out of 5 for another outstanding offensive performance.

Julius Randle: 23 PTS (8/19 FG, 2/6 3PT, 5/8 FT), 5 AST, 16 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 31 mins

Julius Randle’s production didn’t come as easily as Jalen Brunson’s or RJ Barrett’s. The other guys scored predominantly off catch-and-shoot opportunities while Randle drove into the Valley of the Giants and battled. That became a source of early frustration as Randle argued with refs over the physicality inside and saw his shot blocked a few times.

But Randle’s aggression paid big dividends. He dominated the boards and picked up dimes by delivering those catch-and-shoot chances to everyone else. As the game wore on, his relentless attacking wore down the Spurs’ bigs, and he saw increasing success at the rim.

When all was said and done, Randle had fought his way to 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists. It’s a mammoth amount of production, even if it did come with some miscues early. Randle is getting back on track, finding his rhythm, and playing faster. He gets a 4 out of 5 but needs a little more efficiency from the field.

Mitchell Robinson: 8 PTS (3/4 FG, 2/6 FT), 1 AST, 12 REB in 31 mins

Victor Wembanyama didn’t score a single field goal while guarded by Mitchell Robinson. Mitch won the opening tipoff and immediately set to making the “next big thing’s” life hell. Robinson bullied the Spurs front line for good position, dunked the ball when he had it in the paint, and left Wemby visibly frustrated as the action continued.

There’s not as much to say about a Mitch performance these days, but that’s good. He’s turning in double-digit rebounding and dominant rim protection on a regular basis. Shutting down Wembanyama on national television should be Robinson’s announcement that he’s ready to make a run for DPoY.

If I’m looking for a complaint, it’s that Mitch missed his free throws. This should have been a double-double, but the big man’s still searching for consistency at the charity stripe. But with teammates finding him more often and an offensive rebound rate on pace to break Dennis Rodman’s single-season record (thanks to Fred Katz for pointing that out), Mitch will have plenty of opportunities to increase his scoring. Robinson gets another 3.5 because, just like Jalen Brunson, I’m confident that he has an even higher level to reach.

The Knicks bench finds a pair of catalysts

Immanuel Quickley:19 PTS (8/17 FG, 3/9 3PT), 5 AST, 1 STL in 28 mins 

Immanuel Quickley was as dominant as the Knicks’ big three, if not more so. He’s always elusive off the bounce, but the Spurs seemed lost trying to guard him. IQ used speed changes and hesitations to leave Spurs players off balance. When they gave space to keep Quickley in front of them, the 6MoY candidate fired off three-pointers instead.

But we know Quick can score. His best performances include impressive passing, and we got that here. Quickley’s work finding cutters or creating in transition was a joy to watch. He had one particular fast break dime to Hartenstein that was beautiful.

IQ made the second unit tough, even with the bench wings struggling from the field. He and Hartenstein have developed incredible chemistry, and it feels like we’re just scratching the surface of how dominant the back-ups can be. This could be another “Knickstape” kind of season. Quickley gets a 3.5 out of 5, with me saving higher scores for the inevitable scoring explosions to come from him.

Donte DiVincenzo: 3 PTS (1/6 FG, 1/3 3PT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL in 20 mins

Donte DiVincenzo knocked down an early corner three but struggled from the field afterward. He missed his threes and struggled to finish inside when chased off the line. But as DiVincenzo is prone to do, he found other ways to contribute. That meant a couple of assists, some tough rebounds, and consistently aggressive defense.

DiVincenzo particularly stood out as a help defender. Whenever Wembanyama tried to attack bigs from the post-up, Donte seemed to fly in to help and force a pick-up. The little things can make a big difference, and DD does all of it. 

DiVincenzo squeezes a 2 of 5 out of a tough shooting night and does so, thanks to his non-stop motor. 

Josh Hart: 3 PTS (1/3 FG, 1/2 3PT), 5 REB, 1 STL in 24 mins

Josh Hart had similarly limited success to DiVincenzo. Hart was hesitant to shoot again; he made his one three-pointer when the game was well out of reach, though it was nice to see him shoot without hesitation.

That doesn’t mean Hart was awful. He hulked his way to a couple of rebounds against the Spurs bigs. Hart pushed the pace in transition but had to let up as the Spurs did well to contain him. The former Blazer applied pressure, but his work made life easier for teammates to produce rather than himself.

So, Hart gets a 1.5 out of 5 for his limited production, but it’s not as bad as the quiet stat line suggests. 

Isaiah Hartenstein: 13 PTS (6/9 FG, 1/1 FT), 3 REB, 2 STL in 15 mins

Isaiah Hartenstein entered the game for Mitchell Robinson and immediately went after Victor Wembanyama. He scored in the lane off a pass from RJ, followed by hitting a drop stop on Wemby, which was pretty. Throughout his minutes, I-Hart attacked the rookie big man with 13 points in 15 minutes to show for it.

Hartenstein’s physicality matched and maybe even surpassed Mitch. If Wembanyama expected a break when Mitch sat, he was sorely mistaken. I-Hart’s scoring was sorely needed with Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo’s struggles. Despite playing short minutes, the big man gets another 2.5 out of 5.

Nitpicking Tom Thibodeau despite another win

I have to nitpick with Tom Thibodeau; otherwise, there wouldn’t be much to discuss. My one constant complaint with Thibs is that he sticks to his rotations too zealously. He trusts players to break out of funks, sometimes at the expense of others.

That brings me to the case of Quentin Grimes in this matchup. Grimes started the game rolling and played a role in positive developments throughout his minutes. But he still received fewer minutes than Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. In previous games, that made sense, but not this time.

But I want to stress this is a nitpick. The Knicks are balling right now, and their rotation shows increasing chemistry by the game. So, take it with a grain of salt.

Closing Thoughts

I’m gaining confidence with every Knicks’ performance. The growth from Barrett and Mitch seems less fluky each time they repeat their success. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are starting to find their rhythms despite having room for more. My concerns over the second unit’s size haven’t manifested either.

New York’s .500 record feels more like a quirk of the schedule than a reason to worry. That will continue to give me headaches when New York plays two back-to-backs and five games in six days next week. I have more visceral for Adam Silver’s wonky schedule than the refs at this point.

But here’s where it gets fun: Three of the five games next week are against weak opponents. That means New York can come out of that gauntlet tired but with more wins than losses. They have a chance at revenge against Boston sandwiched between battles with lesser opponents. This could be a statement week as the Knicks kick into gear.

Charlotte is next, and that’s not until Sunday. So let’s enjoy the break coming off an impressive win, Knicks fam!

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below! Also, stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP and Alan Hahn discuss potential trade candidates for the Knick!