Well, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t have to wait too long for a rematch with their NBA Cup Finals foes.
The Spurs are back at home, with a healthier Wemby in tow, and hopefully, an overwhelming thirst for vengeance. Okay, overwhelming might be a bit much. I’d settle for something along the lines of a more than lukewarm thirst for vengeance. Honestly, I’d be okay with just a thirst for vengeance, no adjectives needed.
In any case, this is a game that actually counts, and the Spurs have been scuffling
a bit after the high of repeatedly embarrassing the league’s best team in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They’re in need of a new pelt to hang on the wall, and the surging Knicks have hide to spare.
Both teams enter the contest with identical records. Both are 2nd in their respective conferences.
The Knickerbockers, however, are riding a three-game win streak and have only lost one game since December 2nd (a close loss to the Boston Celtics at home), against the Minnesota Timberwolves (also playing at home).
The Knicks are a particularly nasty problem for the Spurs, negating their advantages in rebounding (5th to SA’s 4th), transition scoring (NY is just outside the top 5 for lowest turnover percentage), and 2nd chance scoring (3rd to SA’s 6th), and sport a better offensive and net rating (3rd and 5th vs. 6th and 7th) to boot.
Most concerningly (based on season-long trends), the Knicks are 4th in 3-point percentage and 3rd in three-pointers-made, which has been an Achilles heel for San Antonio’s otherwise miserly defense.
Thankfully, two of their sharpshooters will be out in the one, as well as a key post defender in Mitchell Robinson, so the offense should find some room to drive, and the defense will have fewer three-point threats to focus on.
Still, there’s no denying the Spurs have been in a bit of a funk, as they’re 18th in scoring, 15th in offensive rating, and 20th in True Shooting Percentage over the last 5 games, as opposed to their season-long averages of 7th, 6th, and 6th.
Simply put, the ball has just not been going in the hoop for the Silver and Black lately, and the defense can only compensate for so much. They’ll need to break back out offensively in the direction of their season averages, or the losing streak is likely to drag on.
The good news is that the Knicks are not a good defensive team. They’re 16th in defensive rating on the season, and 22nd over the same last five games. They’re also 17th in Opponent Effective Field Goal Percentage, which means the Spurs should find plenty of room to let it fly.
It also doesn’t hurt that both of the Knicks losses this month have come away from the Garden.
As long as the Spurs can run the Knicks off the arc, exploit a vulnerable interior, and limit their own turnovers, they should be able to get a measure of revenge in this one.
Here’s hoping they’re thirsty for it.
New York Knicks (23-9) vs San Antonio Spurs (23-9)
December 31st, 2025 | 6:00 PM CT
Watch: FanDuel Southwest| Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Devin Vassell – Out (Leg Strain), Stephon Castle – Day-to-Day (Thumb Sprain)
Knicks Injuries: Mitchell Robinson – Out (Ankle), Josh Hart – Out (Ankle), Landry Shamet – Out (Shoulder), Tyler Kolek – Probable (Ankle), Ariel Hukporti – Questionable (Lip Laceration)
What to watch for:
An End To The Dry Spell
Earlier this season, I argued that much of San Antonio’s season would depend on the outside shooting of Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie, and that’s largely been true, but they’re not the only ones to blame for this recent skid. Yes, they’re both shooting below their averages over the last 10 games (32.7% and 29.6% vs. 39.4% and 35%), but so are the Spurs as a whole. The Spurs have been middling from long-distance this year (which is an improvement, actually), but they’re 22nd in three-pointers-made and 28th(!) in three-point percentage over the last 5 games, which is a nosedive even for them. A hard rain needs to fall, and the Knicks are an ideal location for some storm clouds. Break out your best rain dance, because the Spurs are in need of assistance!
Opportunities For The Sidelined
While the guard rotation looks to be in good hands with or without Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell’s absence opens up an opportunity for a forward rotation that’s been pretty light on chances thus far. We saw Lindy Waters, Carter Bryant, and Jeremy Sochan all get some run in the last contest, and I’d expect at least one of them to see some increased minutes here. Ideally, that would be Sochan getting a chance to shake off whatever rust there may be and prove there’s still a place for him, but don’t be surprised if you see more of Bryant, or even Kelly Olynyk, as Mitch Johnson has seemed determined not to invest too heavily in any one of these options. Either way, it’s the first time lineup space has opened up in this area for a while, so it should be interesting, and (I imagine) hotly debated.
