Mitchell Robinson did a JOB on Victor Wembanyama — making him a complete non-factor as the Knicks blew the San Antonio Spurs off the court from start to finish on a Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Wemby had 0 points at the half, on 0-5 shooting — and looked to be tentative and looking over his shoulder when he did shoot. He finally laid in a couple of layups in the 2nd half to finish with 14 points on 4-14 shooting with 9 rebounds and a -25.
Mitchell Robinson, meanwhile, had 8 pts on 3-4 shooting, 12 rebounds and a +30.
But it wasn’t just Robinson. The Knicks were clearly the better overall team, defending well and moving the ball on offense to get good looks and hit their 3’s.
NY shot an incredible 19-42 from 3 — RJ Barrett (24 pts), Julius Randle (23 pts), and Jalen Brunson (25 pts) were all hitting their shots as were Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley (19 pts) off the bench. Isaiah Hartenstein also did a job on Wemby in the minutes he guarded him. Josh Hart did his part. An overwhelming team win.
“He is a great player,” said Mitchell Robinson about Wemby afterwards. “He is one of the best in the league right now especially with his height. He can put it on the floor, shoot it. It was going to be a challenge, but we had to do what we had to do.”
NY improves to 4-4. San Antonio drops to 3-5.
1. NY Jumped Out to 11-0 Lead. And Kept Increasing It
The Knicks came out to meet the Wemby challenge — and jumped out to an 11-0 lead. RJ Barrett — on fire efficiently all night — started it off with a 3, then gave a great pass to Grimes for a layup to make it 5-0. Grimes then hit a 3, and Randle hit a 3 and it was 11-0.
Barrett’s efficient scoring — hitting his 3’s and floaters and free throws — has brought NY to another level.
Noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines on twitter: “RJ Barrett continues making himself a tougher cover with his improved jumper which will now force defenders to close, so he can then use his quick 1st step, strength and ability to finish at rim. Also, he’s making the right pass, the hockey pass and extra pass that lead to good looks.”
get the show started 👌 pic.twitter.com/LX5t88Zw0u
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 9, 2023
The Knicks did not relent. Mitchell Robinson started beasting inside for dunks and offensive rebounds, and asserted himself against Wembanyama on defense. NY was aggressive on offense and excellent team passing opened up 3’s and the Knicks hit them.
The Knicks were up 33-16 at the end of the 1st quarter.
hesi and the finish 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lhHxtPbhtL
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 9, 2023
2. Knicks Laid Down Hammer in 3rd Quarter
The Knicks took a 20- and 21-point lead several times in the 2nd quarter, but a 3 by Jeremy Sochan with 4 seconds left pulled San Antonio to within 14 at the half.
Jeremy Sochan played a real good game for San Antonio. He’s a 6’8 guard who Greg Popovich has playing point. He hounded Jalen Brunson with his defense all night (although Brunson figured ways to get around him and also hit 3’s.) and Sochan was also aggressive going to the rim.
But only being up 14 after dominating the first half seemed to give the Knicks even more fuel — as they really laid the hammer down in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Spurs 34-21, and going up by 30 on multiple occasions.
Barrett and Randle continued to cook, and Jalen Brunson started raining 3’s. Mitchell Robinson owned the interior. The starters pushed the lead to 25 points by the middle of the period and were up by 30 points by the time the 2nd team came in with 3 minutes left in the quarter.
too smooth 🎯 pic.twitter.com/hHKcpEtwWL
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 9, 2023
3. San Antonio Only Got to Within 14 in 4th
But an NBA game is never over ’til it’s over — and San Antonio had a flurry at the start of the 4th to pull within 17. Victor Wembanyama finally broke thru for a couple of layups and fouls, and the Spurs — notably Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Zach Collins — started hitting some 3’s.
Julius Randle hit a big 3 from the right corner with 5:59 left to stave off a Spur run and put NY back up by 17, and a dunk next time down after a timeout put NY up 19 again.
Sochan and Wemby rallied back for 5 straight points, but a Jalen Brunson 3 with 3:53 left and consecutive Randle jumpers with 3:28 left and 3:01 left put NY back up 21 and that was ballgame.
Popovich and Thibodeau emptied their benches.
4. Mitch Vs Wemby
Wemby shot 0-6 when Mitchell Robinson was the primary defender on him.
Isaiah Hartenstein also took it right at Wemby on offense, and bodied him on defense when he was on him.
Julius Randle was cautious on his drives to the rim in the 1st half, but by the 2nd half was taking it to the rim as well even with Wemby in.
Team effort ‼️
JB 25 PTS | 6 AST
RJ 24 PTS | 6 AST
JU 23 PTS | 16 REB | 5 AST
Quick 19 PTS | 5 AST
Big Hart 13 PTS | 2 STL
Mitch 8 PTS | 12 REB pic.twitter.com/t32GrGe2Z4— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 9, 2023
Etcetera
The Knicks showed off their new City Edition uniforms, which featured NEW YORK written twice on the front — making it appear blurred — possibly to evoke the look of speed.
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