Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson lead the Knicks to a win, despite Wembanyama’s historic effort Victor Wembanyama had an incredible performance in his first Christmas Day game as he scored 41 points, with 18 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jeremy Sochan was also a solid performer for the Silver and Black with 21 points including 3 for 3 on three-point shots. The game was close at the end but Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson led the home team as they made the key plays down the stretch and held on for a 117-114 win. When Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter, it looked like an opportunity for the Spurs, but the Knicks substituted in Precious Achiuwa and didn’t miss a beat. Bridges led the way with hitting clutch shots as the Knicks took the lead midway through the final quarter, and the Spurs inability to get rebounds cost them a chance of a shot at tying the game as the Knicks held on for a three point win. Once again, the Spurs showed that they can compete against good teams, but they still aren’t at the point where they can control the game against a team that has multiple elite scorers, especially on the road. Some of the pieces are there, but the Spurs are still a few players away from being a true contender. It was a great learning experience for the young team as they continue to get better, but it’s hard to win games against teams that are as talented as the Knicks, and today, they just came up a little short. Observations Whenever the Spurs play a game on national television, I reminded of how much Spurs fans are spoiled by their local broadcast team. It’s just a lot more focused on basketball, especially the pregame show. It’s truly amazing how long Victor Wembanyama is. He’s a full head taller than KAT. Offensive rebounds really hurt the Spurs as the Knicks took advantage of second and third chances. After one quarter, the Knicks led 28-27, with Wembanyama leading the way for the Spurs with 10 points. The Spurs started the second on an 8-0 run, causing a quick Thibodeau timeout. Disney Sochan is amazing, because the animated version of his green Afro is super large. There was a lot of talk about the Grinch at the game, but we all knew it was Tony Brothers with the whistle. Coach Johnson went a small lineup when Wemby was resting, it’s unclear whether that was a reaction to the ineffective play of Bassey and Collins recently or a matchup decision against the Knicks backups. Stephon Castle is a dawg, man. So glad he’s on the Spurs. What a competitor! The Spurs led 58-51 at the half, led by Victor’s 24 points. In the second quarter I saw the Spurs run a 3 on 1 fast break with proper spacing and crisp passing that ended up in an easy two points. That might be a first for the 2024-2025 season. Towns went on a tear as the Knick regained the lead in the third quarter with 11 points. KAT got into foul trouble late in the third, but the Spurs couldn’t take advantage as Wemby also sat and the Spurs smalball lineup got whacked by Precious Achiuwa, who dominated the diminutive visitors. The Knicks led 88-83 at the end of three quarters. Mikal Bridges almost kept the Knicks in the game single-handedly when the Spurs were dominating early in the fourth. He took over the game as they took a 6 point lead with a minute left. Towns picked up his fifth foul less than halfway through the final period, and again the visitors failed to take advantage as other players on the Knicks picked up the slack, and they stormed back into the lead. The Spurs’ failure to secure defensive rebounds was the deciding factor in the last minute as the Knicks were able to regain possession twice and run out the clock and win 117-114. The Spurs head across the East River after today’s game to play the Brookly Nets on Friday night at the Barclay’s Center. It’s only six miles from Madison Square Garden, so it’s a short hop but with two days in the Big Apple, the Silver and Black will need to stay focused on business to keep up a good road record and stay in Western Conference contention.