Game Preview: Knicks at Spurs, December 31, 2025

SB Nation

2025 has been a hectic year for the Knicks. It started in January with the rapid decline of what looked like one of the best starting lineups in the league. And as the team stumbled through much of February

and March, it looked like one with little hope. But a memorable playoff run that included a tough first-round against the Pistons, a 4-1 beating of the defending champion Celtics, and a disappointing end to the season at the hands of the Pacers and their incredible game one comeback capped off the first half of the year. The second half of 2025? Well, it’s been a bit more stable.

With new head coach Mike Brown at the helm, the team, despite an up-and-down first couple of weeks, has looked more and more like the team we expected- the best team in the east. They are 15-3 in their last 18 games, Jalen Brunson looks like a legitimate MVP candidate once again, Mikal Bridges looks much better than he did last season, and the team is now getting contributions from its young core of Tyler Kolek, Mo Diawara, and Kevin McCullar Jr. on what seems like a nightly basis. So what better way to end the year than to cap off 2025 with a bang by beating the 23-9 Spurs on the road?

While that would be an amazing win to add to the Knicks’ resume, it won’t be an easy task. As we saw not too long ago in New York’s NBA Cup Championship win, San Antonio is a damn good team. They have the sixth-best offensive rating, the best defensive rating, and the seventh-best net rating in the league. They have the athleticism, length, size, and rim protection to slow down any offense in the league, and have an egalitarian offense that centers around generational big man Victor Wembanayama and speedy point guard De’Aaron Fox.

While they have dropped consecutive games against a bad Jazz team and an underachieving Cavaliers team, the Spurs are still a scary opponent. They are less than a week removed from defeating the Thunder, the consensus best team in the league, in back-to-back games, and enter tonight tied with the Knicks for the third-best record in the league.

New York, unlike San Antonio, enters tonight winning three straight games, but they haven’t necessarily been the most impressive. Now, a win is a win, and the Knicks have been without Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, and Landry Shamet for most of those games. And there’s reason to believe that they may have put their best foot forward against the Cavaliers, Hawks, and Pelicans- all of whom are either underperforming or have been outright bad. But beating those teams by just a combined 10 points, and needing late-game heroics from Brunson in all of those games, isn’t the most confidence-inducing.

The positive, if you are a “glass half full” kind of person, is that the Knicks have still managed to win close games against talented, albeit struggling, teams, despite missing key players, and have done so with some much-needed contributions from their bench and young players.

Prediction

The Spurs enter tonight as favorites, but only by a slight margin. These two teams, which both enter tonight with an impressive record of 23-9, have been playing some very good basketball over December, and as we all saw in the NBA Cup championship game, these two teams match up very closely. While New York can still win this game, a few things are going against them.

First off is the fact that despite their recent hot streak, they are still just 7-7 on the road this season. Securing a road win against a Spurs team that enters tonight 11-4 on the road won’t be an easy task. And making things even more difficult is the fact that the Knicks’ list of injured players continues to grow. Landry Shamet, Josh Hart, and most importantly, Mitchell Robinson, who would’ve helped try to slow down Wembanyama, will all be out. Tyler Kolek is a game-time decision with an ankle injury, as is Ariel Hukporti, which leaves the big man rotation very thin.

The Spurs have a couple of injuries of their own as Devin Vassell is out with a groin injury, and Stephon Castle, who has had some big games against the Knicks, is a game-time decision with a thumb injury. Having McBride back will help the Knicks deal with Fox, Castle (if he plays), and Harper’s speed and athleticism on the defensive end. And Diawara and McCullar Jr. could provide the Knicks with some more athleticism and surprise shooting. But it’s hard to see the Spurs losing this one at home. They’ll likely play with an added level of motivation given their last two losses, and their NBA Cup Final loss, and will be at home against a team missing multiple key players.

That being said, I say screw it. Hopefully, the Knicks can get another jaw-dropping performance out of Brunson, squeeze out some more productive minutes out of Diawara, Kolek (if he plays), and McCullar Jr, and get a third straight game of OG Anunoby making game-winning plays down the stretch. Knicks close out 2025 with a gutsy win, showing their will to win, and improve to 24-9.

Prediction of the night: Trey Jemison III, after a solid showing against the Pelicans, steps up big time and becomes the latest bench player to play a big role in a Knicks win.