Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs came up short (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs led for the majority of Game 1 and saw their lead grow to as large as 14 points. Regrettably, the Spurs collapsed down the stretch and the New York Knicks were able to take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a 105-95 victory.
Trailing by eight points midway through the fourth, the Spurs went on a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead. But that’s when Brunson hit a three-pointer off of an offensive rebound. The Spurs saw Fox miss and Wembanyama turn it over on their next two possessions. Before you could blink, the Knicks were ending the game on an 11-0 run to seal the win.
Stats: Spurs vs. Knicks
Spurs vs. Knicks – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Just not good enough. Wembanyama finished 6-for-21 from the field, including 2-for-9 from three-point land. He turned the ball over six times and dished only two assists. Those numbers right there won’t win championships. Sure, there were bright spots: He was 12-for-13 at the line. He pulled down 12 rebounds. He blocked three shots. He spurred San Antonio’s fourth quarter run on the offensive end that got them back in the game. But, at the end of the day, Wembanyama has to play better offensively. Defensively, he was really good for a lot of the game but he could have been better guarding KAT on the perimeter. Let’s hope he cleans it up in Game 2.
Grade: D
De’Aaron Fox
We know Fox isn’t 100% healthy but this was definitely a substandard performance. He was 3-for-13 from the field, including 0-for-4 from deep and 1-for-2 from the line. He led the Spurs with five assists but turned it over three times. Fox’s defense was decent but nothing to write home about. With Wembanyama struggling, it would have been great if San Antonio’s speedy point guard had been able to take over the game offensively — but instead he just added to the woes.
Grade: D-
Stephon Castle
Castle’s raw numbers look okay-ish but he definitely joined the strugglefest. He was 7-for-16 from the field, including 1-for-5 from downtown. He only got to the free throw line for two attempts. While he was only charged with two turnovers, he was sloppy with the ball. Both his ball-handling and passing were more creaky than usual. Add in inefficient shooting and Castle will have to play better for the Spurs to recover. The silver lining for him was clearly his defensive play. He was really good individually and team-wise. But even that silver lining comes with a caveat because the Knicks were able to successfully use screens to cause switches and keep Castle away from the ball when they needed to.
Grade: C-
Devin Vassell
The good: Vassell was 3-for-5 from two-point range. He pulled down nine rebounds including a few of the contested variety. Defensively, there was more good than bad. The bad: Vassell was 1-for-6 from three-point territory. I didn’t love his shot-selection; he forced a couple that he could have swung the ball. When it came to intangibles, it didn’t appear as if Vassell was playing with his usual amount of bravado.
Grade: C-
Julian Champagnie
It was a tale of two halves for Champagnie. He was 5-for-6 from three-point range in the first half. His marksmanship is the main reason why the Spurs held a seven-point lead at halftime. Sadly, his hot shooting didn’t continue after intermission. Champagnie scored only one point in the second half and was 0-for-4 from three-point land. Defensively, it was hit-or-miss. Sometimes he was clearly the worst defender on the court for the Spurs and at other times he looked up to the task. The good news was that Champagnie kept his head up, kept rebounding (he finished with ten boards) and kept playing hard.
Grade: B-
Dylan Harper
This kid is ridiculous. In the first quarter, Harper led the way with ten point. The rookie didn’t miss a shot in his opening quarter and looked like a natural. His scoring rate slowed down but he remained impactful. He grabbed eight rebounds and all of them seemed to be in a crowd. He turned it over only once and his defense was above average. If I were to nitpick Harper, I’d say he should have remained uber aggressive for the duration of the affair. He deferred too much in a game in which he might have been the best thing going for the Spurs.
Grade: A-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes played 12 minutes. He didn’t score but he was able to total two rebounds and one assist. Effort-wise, I liked what I saw. Barnes was more physical than usual and he held up defensively better than normal. We were able to witness some of his veteran gumption on display. That said, more actual production could have helped matters.
Grade: B-
Luke Kornet
The non-Wemby minutes were again an issue and Kornet takes some of that blame. In the ten minutes he played, the Spurs were outscored by seven points. That’s just too much of a letdown, particularly in a game in which Wembanyama is struggling. Kornet didn’t have a basket and only registered one rebound. I thought he started off pretty strong defensively but faded as the game went along.
Grade: C-
Keldon Johnson
Johnson only played eight minutes. He was fouling too much and he was forcing things offensively. The effort was there but it looked like he was out of sorts. Johnson lost some of his minutes he usually gets but I can’t blame the coaching staff for that decision. Going forward, let’s hope he does well enough to earn back more playing time.
Grade: D+
Carter Bryant
Bryant gave it his all on defense but the results were lacking. Brunson didn’t have any issues dealing with him and he could have done more on the glass or in loose ball situations. Offensively, Bryant missed a free throw and his only shot from the field. Understandably, he looked nervous out there.
Grade: Inc.
Mitch Johnson
Coach Mitch has coached really well in these playoffs but it felt like he made some wrong moves in Game 1. First and foremost, not having Harper in the game in the fourth quarter was a poor decision. The rookie looked more than capable but Coach Mitch had him on the bench during the most important minutes. In fact, I thought Harper should have had the ball in his hands during money time. Considering that’s exactly what Coach Mitch did in Game 7 against OKC, it was surprising he didn’t even have him on the floor tonight. The offensive gameplan could have been sharper; too much isolation hurt the flow. The defensive gameplan was pretty good but failed at big moments in the fourth.
Grade: D