The New York Knicks can build on a three-game winning streak and produce a repeat result of the NBA Cup final when they visit the suddenly struggling San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in a clash between two of the league’s best teams.
The Knicks and Spurs squared off in the finals of the NBA’s in-season tournament on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, with the Knicks winning 124-113 in a contest that did not count in the regular-season standings. Since then, both teams have won five of their ensuing seven contests — but with the big difference coming in the most recent games.
New York heads to the Alamo after a gritty 130-125 win on Monday in New Orleans as OG Anunoby’s contested dunk with 1:48 remaining put the Knicks on top for good after they trailed by 10 points in the third quarter.
Jalen Brunson (28 points, 10 assists), Anunoby (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Karl-Anthony Towns (12 points, 12 rebounds) each had double-doubles for New York while Mohamed Diawara scored a career-high 18 points and Miles McBride, playing in his first game since Dec. 7 because of a left ankle sprain, added 14 points off the bench.
“We find a way to win,” Brunson said. “We have a growing confidence as a team, not necessarily just in fourth quarters. We understand how we started (Monday) was unacceptable, and we got to figure out how to win a game from where we were. So we got a lot of confidence in each other. But we got to start better. And we got to play better, honestly, throughout the whole game.”
The Knicks have captured 15 of their past 18 games when including the NBA Cup final.
The Spurs have dropped two straight games by laying eggs in the fourth quarter, the most recent a 113-101 setback Monday at home to Cleveland. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 26 points and 14 rebounds with Stephon Castle adding 15 points, De’Aaron Fox scoring 14, Dylan Harper finishing with 11 and Luke Kornet scoring 10 points.
San Antonio led by two points heading to the fourth quarter but came unraveled, allowing Cleveland to surge to the front and stay there.
“It felt like an unnecessary feeling of desperation at times,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “And there are probably a few different sources of that — some of it is motivation, some is trying to make a play, some are trying to be aggressive, some of it is trying to extend a lead or cut a lead where you can’t get six-point plays.”
The late swoon mirrored the Spurs’ 127-114 home loss to Utah on Saturday, when they rallied to tie the game early in the fourth quarter and then fell down the stretch. San Antonio had won eight consecutive games (not counting the NBA Cup final) before losing twice in three nights.
“Never get too high when we win, never get too low when we lose,” Wembanyama said. “It’s a transition in our season for us because we just came off a very tough stretch of which we came out pretty successful. Very demanding games, mentally demanding scouting reports and opponents, and we have to be able to settle down after that.”
