Knicks
Brunson's 45 spark 29-18 fourth as Knicks survive late in San Antonio
The Knicks beat the Spurs 94-90 at Frost Bank Center, erasing a lead that reached 16 points with a 29-18 fourth quarter. Jalen Brunson scored 45 to carry New York, while San Antonio got 25 off the bench from Dylan Harper but couldn't hold on. Records for both teams stand at 0-0.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 43 d ago01The story of the nightSpurs led most of the way, until they didn'tSan Antonio controlled the first three quarters, going up 23-13 after one and building to a 16-point lead at its peak.
San Antonio controlled the first three quarters, going up 23-13 after one and building to a 16-point lead at its peak. The Spurs were still ahead 72-65 entering the fourth. Then the Knicks flipped it, outscoring San Antonio 29-18 in the final period to close the game on a 9-point swing. New York's biggest lead all night was only 4 points, but it came at the only time that mattered. Lead changes were even at 5 apiece, proof of how tight the margins stayed even as the scoreboard swung big in both directions.
02Brunson takes overJalen Brunson finished with 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three and 13-of-15 at the line, in…
Jalen Brunson finished with 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three and 13-of-15 at the line, in 41.1 minutes. It was the offensive engine New York needed to answer San Antonio's push. Victor Wembanyama countered with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks, but shot just 7-of-19 from the floor. Dylan Harper led all bench scorers with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting for the Spurs, and Julian Champagnie added 14 on 4-of-8 from deep, but neither could match Brunson's individual weight.
03Won on the glass and at the lineSan Antonio outscored New York in the paint 38-30 and scored more points off turnovers, 21 to 18, so this wasn't…
San Antonio outscored New York in the paint 38-30 and scored more points off turnovers, 21 to 18, so this wasn't decided by the Knicks winning every hustle category. Instead, New York out-rebounded the Spurs 66-59 and made 20-of-28 free throws compared to San Antonio's 12-of-19, a 6-point edge at the stripe. Both teams were even from three at 12-of-37 and matched each other with 13 fast-break points apiece. The extra possessions on the boards and the free-throw disparity covered for New York's cold 35.6% night from the field against San Antonio's 38.4%.
04Bench gap didn't decide itSan Antonio's reserves outscored New York's bench 32-9, a lopsided number driven almost entirely by Harper's 25.
San Antonio's reserves outscored New York's bench 32-9, a lopsided number driven almost entirely by Harper's 25. Keldon Johnson added 7 more off the Spurs bench. New York's bench, by contrast, managed only 9 total points, with Landry Shamet's 5 the high mark. That the Knicks won despite getting buried on the bench scoreboard shows how much Brunson's starter-heavy workload carried the load. For San Antonio, the concern going forward is that a 23-point bench advantage still wasn't enough to close out a game they led by 16.
05What it meansThe Knicks move to 94 points on a night where their stars, not their depth, delivered, with Brunson's 45 standing as…
The Knicks move to 94 points on a night where their stars, not their depth, delivered, with Brunson's 45 standing as the headline number. The Spurs got a strong all-around effort from Wembanyama and a big bench lift from Harper but let a 16-point lead and a 72-65 fourth-quarter edge slip away. Both clubs sit at 0-0 in their head-to-head this season with no prior meetings on record. For San Antonio, the fourth-quarter execution against a Brunson-led attack is the clearest thing to clean up.
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