A surprising downturn for a Spurs team riding an 11-game surge has left Victor Wembanyama pondering what happened. In New York, San Antonio looked unsettled from the opening tip as the Knicks’ defense dialed up the pressure, snapping a remarkable streak with a 114-89 defeat.
The physicality wasn’t new to the Spurs, but Wembanyama expected their response at Madison Square Garden to be stronger. Instead, they faded after a 26-2 burst by New York in the first half, never fully recovering. “We gave them life,” Wembanyama acknowledged. “We should have been better, especially during that first-quarter stretch.”
San Antonio had sprinted out to an 11-0 start in February, becoming the first NBA team to go undefeated in a month while scoring 110 points or more in every game played at least 10 times. The performance momentum carried them to a 19-7 lead on Sunday, but the Knicks seized control and limited the Spurs to their season’s lowest point total.
“I was surprised,” Wembanyama said. “They’re a solid basketball team with real players. They’re not an ugly team to watch, but they made our game look ugly.” He finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks, rebounding offensively after consecutive games with 12 points. However, his seven turnovers reflected hesitation, particularly on 3-point attempts, where he went 1-for-7.
A critical sequence in the first quarter also drew attention. On a play where Mitchell Robinson missed a free throw with the Spurs up 21-14, San Antonio failed to secure the rebound, and New York answered with an 8-0 run to close the quarter before pulling away in the second. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson noted that the opening 10 minutes had gone about as well as possible for his club, yet the team’s level dipped afterward, looking more like a group stuck in quicksand than the fast, fluid unit that had carried them to No. 2 in the Western Conference earlier in the season.
Even as the loss stood out as a rare stumble, Wembanyama refused to view it as a sign of decline. “No, I don’t see any regression,” he said. “Adversity like this can be a good thing for us.”
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