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EspañolThe Spurs came into Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon riding an 11-game winning streak.
They averaged 111 points per game during that streak, so when they walked off the court with a season-low 89 points in a 25-point loss, Victor Wembanyama had to give some credit to the home team.
“This is a top-seed team, a playoff team, experienced. They know what it’s like, you know, and they gave us a good show today,” the All-Star big man said after his Spurs lost for the first time in four weeks.
For the Knicks, Sunday was arguably their best defensive performance of the season.
“I thought our weak-side defense was really good. For them to shoot 26, 27 percent from three, our activity on the weak-side was really good,” Mike Brown said postgame. “We had 5 guys on a string, so when we went to go help on dribble drives, our weak-side was active the right way. And…our guys did a pretty good job of keeping the ball out of the middle on their drives.
"Our on-ball defense was pretty good with the level of physicality and keeping it on the sidelines, that was pretty good. They had 38 paint points (and) they've been really really good scoring in the paint. Our guys did a good job trying to cover that and get out to the three-point line."
The Knicks actually have the top defense in the NBA over the past 15 games (based on defensive efficiency), but they’ve been largely inconsistent on that end of the floor -- and, frankly, in most facets of the game.
So the defense on Sunday was a welcome sign for a team that wants to play deep into June.
“I think it's just another example of where we can be defensively,” Josh Hart said. “We have to do that on a nightly basis. Now it's all about getting better every day, getting better so we're the best team we can be when we're in the playoffs. We have to continue to build off this, and not have lows at this point; it can't be up and down.”
WINGING IT
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby played well on both sides of the floor -- they spearheaded the Knick defense.
Bridges finished with five steals; Anunoby had a steal and a block and was disruptive all afternoon, particularly on Wembanyama.
Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson also played at a high level on that end of the floor.
Bridges had the best overall game, finishing with 25 points on 17 shots (5-for-9 on threes). He looked every bit the player New York sought when it sent five first-round picks to the Nets to acquire the wing.
Bridges had an up and down first season in New York that included several big moments in the postseason.
Year Two has also been a bit up and down, but Hart sees continued improvement from his old Villanova teammate.
"I think it's a continuation of last year, obviously for him coming here, he was the number one option for what, a year and a half or whatever (in Brooklyn), so he was, he was used to that,” Hart said. “Obviously coming in (to New York) you have [Jalen Brunson] and you have [Karl-Anthony Towns], so you got to kind of offensively take a step back.
"Sometimes that’s difficult, sometimes it's tough, you go from getting 15 to 20 play calls to three or four. Mentally, sometimes it takes adjusting to that, and I think that's something that he's worked with, but I think he's more comfortable with it. He's able to not worry about that or focus on that and just play his game."
MO-RE DIAWARA
Brown is sticking with Mohamed Diawara ahead of Jeremy Sochan in the Knick rotation. Diawara was very good on Sunday, making the Spurs pay for leaving him open (he hit three of his first seven three-point attempts when the game was still in question). Diawara was also an important part of the Knick defense on Sunday.
"Well, first thing I would say is Mo is not afraid,” is what Brown said when asked about Diawara.
“For a young guy, I've thrown him out there in games to start on national TV and he didn't bat an eye. And he might start three games in a row, then he might not play the fourth game, he doesn't bat an eye,” the coach added. “He is the most confident young man I've been around. And he's got a chance to be- not good, really good.
"He's working extremely hard on his shooting, like you saw tonight, and then Peter Patton and Coach Tyndale, they've done great things with him as well as the rest of the staff. But confidence wise, you don't have to worry about that. What you said is correct, he and Jeremy are ninth and tenth right now. Tenth and ninth. And they both just have to keep themselves ready because their number can be called at any time."
Diawara played against Wembanyama on Sunday for the first time since they met as grade school players (11 or 12 years old is the age Diawara remembers playing Wembanyama). He looked very good against his countryman in a big spot for the Knicks.
“Really talented, man and understanding the game at a young age,” Bridges said of the rookie.
New York drafted Diawara with the 51st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. His impact is obviously a testament to his talent; it’s also a win for the Knick front office and player development program.
Owner James Dolan has stressed the importance of developing young players. In Diawara, the Knicks seem to have a strong example of what the franchise can do with young, confident players.