The New York Knicks took a 10-point lead over the San Antonio Spurs into the second half, and at one point carried a 17-point lead in the first half on New Year’s Eve. And yet, they took their foot off the gas down the stretch and closed out 2025 with a loss to the Spurs, 132-134.
Knicks defense was putrid in the fourth quarter
For the first time this season, the Knicks have lost a game after entering the fourth quarter with a lead. The reason for that was their poor defense down the stretch, which stunningly came with Victor Wembanyama off the floor after he suffered a knee injury at the start of the quarter.
The Spurs lit up the Knicks for 41 fourth quarter points, and they quickly erased a big lead thanks to some big three-pointers from Julian Champagnie, who had a career night. Champagnie finished with 36 points and knocked down a Spurs franchise record 11 three-pointers.
The Knicks have no resistance on the defensive end whatsoever, and the Spurs made them pay with their timely buckets. New York had multiple chances to pull away and close this game out, but they simply didn’t do their job well enough on the defensive end.
Karl-Anthony Towns disappeared in the fourth quarter
Despite Wembanyama sitting, Karl-Anthony Towns couldn’t take advantage in the fourth quarter, and careless fouls haunted him once again.
Towns played the entire fourth quarter but scored just two points. Furthermore, he took only three shots and committed three personal fouls, reaching his sixth foul with 48 seconds left in the game. The Knicks couldn’t get anything for Towns down the stretch, and the lack of impact on both ends cost them an opportunity to win.
Inconsistency has marred Towns’ season up to this point. He has shown the capability to play at an All-Star level some nights, but they need him to take games over and gives teams a reason to fear his presence on the court.
The Knicks’ bench had an impressive showing
Despite the loss, the depth of the Knicks continued to show its impact, with the bench having one of their better performances of the season. The bench scored a total of 56 points, including two 20+ point outings.
Miles McBride scored 21 points off the bench in his second game back from injury, and Jordan Clarkson provided 20 of his own. Their shooting prowess helped the Knicks build their initial lead, and it kept them in the game after they let that lead slip away.
The bench continues to provide a spark, which is a great sign for them moving forward. They just need better defense out of the group as a whole to really get going and prevent bad losses like Wednesday’s.
Overview
Overall, this was truly a bad loss for the Knicks. They let a big lead slip away against a really good team, and missed an opportunity to claim a statement victory on the road.
They will look to bounce back on Friday when they head back home to take on the Atlanta Hawks.