The San Antonio Spurs (23-9) look to shake off a two-game losing skid Wednesday when the red-hot New York Knicks (23-9) come to town Wednesday. It sets up a marquee matchup between the second-seeded teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Here are the three key factors to watch for Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center.
- The best of the best are squaring off: NBA fans don’t need to go too far back in their memory banks to remember the last time these two teams went toe-to-toe, with the Knicks defeating the Spurs in the Emirates NBA Cup Final. It’s far from a fluke that those teams reached the final as both are playing some of the best basketball in the entire league. They both enter tonight’s matchup with identical 23-9 records that each rank second-best in their respective conference. This matchup has tons of star power on both sides; the Knicks are keyed by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, while the Spurs are getting huge production from Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. On the injury front, Josh Hart (ankle) won’t be available for the Knicks, while the Spurs may be missing Stephon Castle (thumb).
- Knicks offense vs Spurs defense: Who has the advantage? These teams have gotten off to great starts in different ways and are both playing some of the best basketball in the league of late. The Knicks and Spurs are the only teams to reach double-digit wins in December. New York is powered by offense. Their 121.4 offensive rating ranks third in the league this year and that efficiency has bumped up to 122.6 in December. The Spurs, meanwhile, have had the No.4 defensive efficiency in the league in December. That’s not to say the Knicks can’t defend or that the Spurs can’t score. However, the strengths of both teams will be put to the test tonight when it comes to San Antonio’s defense trying to slow down New York’s offense.
- Battle of the bigs: Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns are two of the best big men in the league and cornerstones for their respective franchises. Wembanyama is playing at an MVP level as one of two players (Nikola Jokić) averaging at least 24 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. Wemby also leads the league in BPG (3.0) by over half a block per game. Towns, meanwhile, is putting together another terrific campaign in New York, averaging 22.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. He is tied with Jalen Johnson for second in the league in double-doubles (22). The stage is set for one of the best displays of frontcourt play an NBA fan could ask for tonight.
