Grades: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks – Game #30
Victor Wembanyama did his part on Christmas Day (Photo via X)
In what turned out to be an entertaining Christmas Day face-off, Victor Wembanyama had a glorious outing for the San Antonio Spurs but ultimately it turned out to not be enough against the New York Knicks. When the festivities ended, the Knicks (20-10) had a 117-114 victory over the Spurs, who dropped to 15-15 on the season.
A back and forth affair throughout the morning, the Spurs held an eight-point lead with seven minutes remaining. Sadly, it was downhill from there for the good guys. The Knicks, who were led by Mikal Bridges’ 41 points on 17-of-25 shooting, turned up the intensity and the Spurs were unable to keep up.
All in all, San Antonio played hard. They just didn’t have enough discipline to close out this game on the road.
Stats: Spurs at Knicks
Spurs at Knicks – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
It’s difficult to point out the flaws in Wembanyama’s outing because he was such a dominant force. The Spurs were in the game because he took control of the action on his way to 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Offensively, his shot-making was extraordinary and he made some wise passes. Defensively, he made life difficult for the Knicks at every turn. Sure, he could have been a bit more precise with his shot-selection and he could have avoided some of his mistakes. But, really, the only fair complaint is that Wembanyama seemingly ran out of gas and went scoreless in the final seven minutes. Other than that, he did way more than his fair share.
Grade: A
Devin Vassell
Vassell’s ascension into the starting five hasn’t been as seamless as everyone hoped. Too often it appears as if he’s making life harder for Wembanyama instead of easing the pressure. Vassell has to be a smarter passer and make quicker decisions. He’s turning the ball over too much and not playing enough defense. There are glimpses of Vassell being what the Spurs need him to be — but it’s been rough watching him over the last two games, specifically.
Grade: D
Chris Paul
Paul played his role well. He ran the offense well while also picking up the slack scoring-wise. When he’s shooting it straight, the spacing on offense looks much, much better. Furthermore, Paul played stout defense, only turned it over once and his leadership ability was especially palpable during this Christmas Day game.
Grade: A-
Jeremy Sochan
The good: Sochan was 3-for-3 from three-point land. Those shots were a key reason why the Spurs were able to hang around. As I’ve often stated, Sochan being able to hit threes consistently would be huge for the team. Inside the arc, he picked his spots well. He’s getting better and better at feeding off the attention that Wembanyama draws. Defensively, he did admirable work in one-on-one matchups and also rebounded with vigor. The bad: Sochan had five turnovers and a couple needless fouls. Otherwise, the Spurs couldn’t have asked for much more.
Grade: A-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes authored another quiet performance. Over his last two games, he’s 1-for-8 in 37 minutes with two rebounds and one assist. It goes without saying that Barnes needs to be more productive during his time on the court. While it’s nice that he’s limiting his mistakes, he needs more tangible positives to warrant a spot in the starting five.
Grade: D+
Julian Champagnie
Coming off the bench, Champagnie has done well to stay confident from deep. He’s shooting whenever he sees a glimmer of the orange rim — and his threes have seemed to be extra timely recently. Champagnie’s defense was a let down in this game. His loose D played a part in Bridges catching fire.
Grade: C
Keldon Johnson
Johnson has been lost in the shuffle during this current alignment. He did very little against the Knicks and it’s clear that he’s now behind Champagnie in the pecking order. Honestly, though, it’s difficult to blame the coaching staff. Champagnie has had the better campaign and Johnson has yet to find any sort of rhythm during the 2024-25 season.
Grade: C-
Stephon Castle
I liked Castle’s aggressiveness and his confidence. Did he play well in New York on Christmas Day? No, not really. He had a couple strong finishes but he ended up inefficient on offense and his defense failed to move the needle as much as normal. Passing was a plus at times but he also shot a few times he should have dished it off.
Grade: C-
Tre Jones
This was one of Jones’ best games of the season. It appears as if he is figuring out how to best utilize his minutes. He played with electricity against the Knicks and the results were seven points and nine assists in only 16 minutes. That production rate is nothing short of stupendous. Jones ran the offense well, broke down New York’s defense constantly and his decision-making was practically flawless. His defense and hustle were also noteworthy positives.
Grade: A-
Mitch Johnson
Johnson tried to roll without a true backup center but that strategy seemed to backfire. In retrospect, he likely played Wembanyama too many minutes because the Frenchman didn’t have much gas left in the tank at the end. Jones also should have played more based on hindsight.
Grade: C-