The San Antonio Spurs entered their Wednesday night matchup against the New York Knicks and delivered an impressive performance, securing a 120-105 victory over the Eastern Conference’s third seed.
The Spurs set the tone early with a balanced, fast-paced attack that gave them a lead they never surrendered.
Despite Karl-Anthony Towns scoring the Knicks’ first nine points and finishing with a team-high 32, New York struggled to keep pace.
Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and Cameron Payne all reached double figures, but none exceeded Bridges’ and Payne’s 14 points.
For the Spurs, Sandro Mamukelashvili stole the show, exploding for 34 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal in just 19 minutes.
He was nearly perfect from the field, hitting 13-of-14 shots, including all seven of his three-point attempts. Rookie Stephon Castle continued his standout debut season with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.
All five Spurs starters—Castle, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, Chris Paul, and Devin Vassell—scored in double figures.
Paul and Bismack Biyombo formed an effective veteran pick-and-roll duo, with Paul scoring four straight baskets in a key 10-2 run off Biyombo’s screens.
The Spurs dominated key statistical categories, holding the Knicks to under 30 percent from three while converting 45.7 percent of their own attempts.
They also shot 50 percent from the field compared to New York’s 42.4 percent and won the rebounding battle 52-44. Keldon Johnson led the Spurs on the glass with 10 boards off the bench, second only to Robinson’s 11.
With the win, San Antonio improves to 29-39 and will next host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday before beginning a three-game road trip.
