New York Knicks (40-22) beat San Antonio Spurs (43-18) 114-89 at home on Sunday, March 1. The final margin was 25 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Knicks struck first, taking the opening quarter 22-21 and a 1-point lead after one. The Knicks kept the pressure on with a 29-20 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Knicks won the third 29-28 to create some separation, taking a 11-point lead into the fourth. The Knicks took the fourth 34-20; the Knicks finished the job for a 114-89 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Knicks took better care of the ball, turning it over on 13% of possessions compared with 22.3% for the Spurs. The Knicks grabbed 36.7% of their own misses, while the Spurs recovered 21.7%. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Spurs did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 20.8 against 11.3. The Knicks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Knicks produced 114.5 points per 100 possessions to 89.4 for the Spurs.
Who stood out
Mikal Bridges was the game's biggest individual force for NYK: 25 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl on 10-17 shooting. His Game Score of 22.8 led everyone. His team was +21 with him on the floor.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 25 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast, 4 blk on 8-17 shooting, good for a 16.6 Game Score.
Josh Hart (10 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast), Karl-Anthony Towns (12 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast), and Victor Wembanyama (25 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 56% for the Knicks.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Knicks are now 40-22, and the Spurs are 43-18. The Knicks last five before this game: L-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.