Daily Report – 3/3/26
Knicks
Victor Wembanyama is an NBA superstar. He’s definitely part-alien. But a superstar, nonetheless.
So, who could have imagined that Karl-Anthony Towns has intergalactic defensive skills? Not me. Not after the season he’s had.
Yet, somehow, Towns gave Wembanyama an early case of Sunday Scaries, holding him to a -15 rating, his second worst of the season, as the Knicks disrupted San Antonio’s 11-game win streak with a 114-89 blowout. With 43 wins, the Spurs are the third-best team in the NBA. Yet, they didn’t look the part on Sunday afternoon, as the Knicks held them to a season-low scoring output.
Just like they did in the NBA Cup championship game, the Knicks imposed their will defensively over San Antonio. This time around, just like on Christmas Day in 2024, they were powered by Mikal Bridges, who posted a team-high 25 points and five treys.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can score, so sometimes the touches might be limited,” said Bridges, who added five steals to his explosive performance. “Just control what I can control, and that’s bringing energy on both ends and trying to make the right read and be aggressive.”
But it wasn’t all fun and games for the Knicks at the World’s Most Famous Arena on Sunday. New York got off to a 7-19 start in the first quarter. But they scratched and clawed their way back, and they finished the opening frame with a 22-21 lead.
A lead they stretched to 26 points and never relinquished.
“We started taking the right shots,” said head coach Mike Brown. “I told our guys, ‘Let that thing fly.’”
In addition to his strong defensive performance, Towns scored his 16,000th career point. But Jalen Brunson was responsible for the Knicks’ resounding first-quarter push. He scored each of the final 11 Knicks points of the opening quarter, the back end of which composed a 19-0 run, the longest San Antonio had allowed all season. The Knicks led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter before taking a 10-point lead into halftime.
Mohamed Diawara also played a significant role for the Knicks on both sides of the basketball. Before the Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan, they frequently used Diawara as a defensive wing off the bench. Although Alvarado didn’t take Diawara’s minutes, Sochan’s arrival complicated things.
Brown is still figuring out how to work Sochan into his rotation, but Diawara continues to earn his playing time. In 15 minutes on Sunday, he scored 14 points, the most among bench players, including four made threes. He added a block and a steal. It was his best performance of the season.
If it wasn’t Wembanyama, then who had their breakout moment at the Mecca on Sunday? The answer: Mohamed Diawara.
“Mo is not afraid,” Brown said. “For a young guy, I’ve thrown him out there in games, to start, on national TV, and he didn’t bat an eye. He might have started three games in a row, then he might not have played at all in the fourth quarter. He doesn’t bat an eye.
“He’s the most confident man I’ve been around. He’s got a chance to be, not good, [but] good-good.”
Just a few weeks ago, the Knicks ranked in the middle of the league in defense rating. Now, they have the eighth-best defensive rating in the NBA. From here on out, these Knicks must prioritize energy and commitment. They can’t afford to pitch any more duds as they did in Cleveland last week.
Towns must carry his strong play into tonight’s game in Toronto (7:30 PM, 6:30 PM CT – MSG, Gotham Sports), and perhaps more importantly, into tomorrow’s game against Oklahoma City.
Schedule
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CST): NYK at TOR; MSG, Gotham Sports
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Knicks
