Nobody expected the San Antonio Spurs to be here. Not this soon. Not this dominant. And yet, here they are — marching into Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon with an 11-game winning streak, a 43-16 record, and the kind of quiet, unstoppable momentum that tends to make the rest of the league nervous.
The Spurs and the New York Knicks tipped off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at MSG in a nationally televised ABC showdown, and through the first quarter, it lived up to every expectation. San Antonio led 21-22 at the end of Q1 in a tight, physical opening frame that set the tone for what figures to be one of the better regular season matchups of the year.
The Spurs Are Playing the Best Basketball of Their Season
San Antonio has not lost since Feb. 6, and the Spurs are not just winning — they are winning decisively. The streak includes road victories over the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Brooklyn Nets, none of which were particularly close. Their most recent win came Thursday night against Brooklyn, a 126-110 wire-to-wire performance in which Julian Champagnie led the way with 26 points and three steals while Stephon Castle added 18 and rookie Dylan Harper came off the bench to contribute 12 points and seven assists.
Victor Wembanyama remains the engine of everything San Antonio does. Through one quarter on Sunday, the second-year center had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and a block, continuing his season averages of 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and an NBA-best 2.8 blocks per game. Devin Vassell was the early standout for the Spurs with 5 points on 2-of-3 shooting and a steal, while Castle picked up where he left off with 3 points and 3 assists through the opening period. De’Aaron Fox, averaging 19.0 points per game on the season, contributed 4 early points.
The Knicks Are No Easy Target at Home
New York came into Sunday’s game at 38-22 and riding momentum of their own, having blasted the Milwaukee Bucks 127-98 on Friday night behind 27 points from Jalen Brunson and 24 from OG Anunoby. The Knicks are a different team at Madison Square Garden, where the crowd and the energy tend to elevate their performance in big moments.
Brunson wasted no time making his presence felt on Sunday. The Knicks’ engine already had 11 points through Q1 — going 3-of-7 from the field with a pair of threes — and was clearly intent on making this a statement game at home. Anunoby chipped in 2 points and 4 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns, who averages 19.9 points and 11.7 rebounds on the season, had 2 early points and 2 rebounds as the Knicks controlled the glass with 18 total boards through one frame compared to San Antonio’s 13.
History Favors the Spurs, But MSG Favors the Knicks
This is not the first time these teams have met this season. San Antonio topped New York 134-132 in a thrilling New Year’s Eve matchup at home, and the Spurs will be looking to complete the season sweep on Sunday. That earlier game underscored just how evenly matched these two teams are — and Sunday’s tight first quarter suggests more of the same.
The Knicks’ interior presence is the central challenge for San Antonio. Towns against the Spurs’ frontcourt, and Brunson’s playmaking against Wembanyama’s rim protection, are the two defining matchups that figure to determine how this one ends. Through one quarter, the Knicks hold a slim 22-21 edge, but the Spurs shot 40% from the field compared to New York’s 34.8%, suggesting San Antonio is the more efficient team despite trailing.
What Is at Stake for Both Teams
For the Spurs, Sunday’s game carries real weight. A win would push their winning streak to 12 games and cement their status as one of the two or three most dangerous teams in the Western Conference heading into the final stretch of the regular season. At 43-16, San Antonio is firmly in the conversation for the best record in the West and has the look of a team that is peaking at exactly the right time.
For the Knicks, this is an opportunity to make a statement at home against one of the league’s hottest teams. New York has the talent, the crowd, and the motivation — and Brunson’s early performance suggests the Knicks are not planning to let San Antonio walk out of MSG without a fight.
The second quarter is underway. Neither team is backing down.
