The San Antonio Spurs have had some ugly losses this season, getting blown out by 30 points or more five times. Monday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, however, was on another level as the defense was seemingly nonexistent. Following three of the previous four blow-outs, San Antonio (12-25) failed to bounce back in their next game. On Wednesday night, they have an opportunity to break the trend and show they’ve put the Brooklyn loss behind them as they take on the New York Knicks (20-18) inside Madison Square Garden, for another edition of Spurs vs Knicks.
Spurs vs Knicks Game Information
- When: Wednesday, January 4, 2023
- Start Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
- Location: Madison Square Garden – New York City, New York
- Spurs TV Channel: Bally Sports Southwest – San Antonio
- Spurs Radio Broadcast: 1200 WOAI AM (English) / 1350 AM KXTN (Spanish)
Game Odds
- Moneyline: Spurs (+350) | Knicks (-435)
- Over/Under: 226 (-110)
- Spread: Knicks -9.5 (-110)
Spurs vs Knicks Injury Report
As of Tuesday night, the Spurs’ injury report was pretty clean. Keita Bates-Diop was the only official scratch listed (non-COVID illness). Devin Vassell was once again listed as questionable with left knee soreness. For what it’s worth, he played 26 minutes as a starter against the Nets with the same designation. Both of San Antonio’s two-way contract players, Charles Bassey and Dominick Barlow, are currently with the Austin Spurs. Rookie guard Blake Wesley is also with the G League team as he works his way back from injury. He played 28 minutes with Austin on Sunday, scoring 14 points and struggling from beyond the arc.
Spurs injury report for Wednesday @ Knicks:
OUT
Bates-Diop (non covid illness)
Wesley, Bassey, Barlow – G-LeagueQuestionable
Vassell – left knee soreness— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) January 3, 2023
New York is in much better shape for the Spurs than they were the last time the two teams met just before the new year. Jalen Brunson is back with the team and helped the Knicks get the victory over the Phoenix Suns in his return. RJ Barrett, on the other hand, is going to miss his fourth consecutive game. He sustained a finger injury against the Dallas Mavericks last week. Obi Toppin (doubtful) hasn’t taken the floor in nearly a month for New York and is likely still out. Derrick Rose is questionable with a knee injury according to the Knicks’ report.
Spurs vs Knicks Preview
In the first meeting between the two teams, San Antonio used a nine-point halftime lead to turn in a seven-point win at home. Keldon Johnson had another strong performance leading the team with 30 points. The real story of the night, however, was Romeo Langford. A former top-10 pick who is still trying to find his footing, Langford was spectacular. He set a new career-high with 23 points while shooting nearly 70 percent from the floor. In the two games since, he hasn’t found that same rhythm. Langford has scored just eight points in the last two games, all of which came against the Mavericks. Both he and Johnson are sure to have New York’s attention on Wednesday night. The Knicks also be upping the ante offensively thanks to having Brunson back.
Julius Randle had a huge night in the last matchup with San Antonio, scoring a game-high 41 points, 18 from beyond the arc. Outside of Immanuel Quickley adding 36 points of his own, the rest of the Knicks had relatively quiet nights with Evan Fournier being the only other scorer in double digits. Brunson brings the exact support that Randle needs as a true second threat, and he’s sure to be locked in against the Spurs. Playing with the Mavericks in 2021, the former second-round pick had some big games against San Antonio, averaging 20 points across the five contests, connecting on nearly 40 of his shots from deep.
The priority for the Spurs against the Knicks needs to be on defense as the team has allowed an average of 126 points per game in their last five outings. That has contributed to their league-worst average of 121 opponent points per game. When San Antonio does collect the win, they are holding teams to an average of 111 points, right at their own average scoring mark. If the team can turn in one of their better defensive nights of the season, they have a fighting chance in The Big Apple.
