The San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama walked into Madison Square Garden on one of the hottest venues in franchise history.
They walked out in shock, searching for answers after a lopsided defeat brought their momentum to a screeching halt.
After going a perfect 11-0 through February, the Spurs lost to the New York Knicks 114-89, ending their winning streak.
The loss not only ended the Spurs' winning streak, but exposed cracks that surprised even their franchise's cornerstone.
“We gave them life,” Vunbanyama said. “We should have done better, especially in the first quarter.”
The Spurs took control early on, jumping out to a 19-7 lead and looking every bit like a team that had already jumped to the top of the Western Conference. Then a cruel turn took place.
The Knicks went on a 26-2 run, completely turning the game around and causing the Spurs to lose their rhythm.
Despite facing a physical defense they'd seen before, Wembanyama admitted the reaction wasn't what he expected.
“Yes, I was surprised,” Vunbanyama said. “It feels like they're a good basketball team and they're really good basketball players. They're not the dirtiest, ugliest team, you know? They're not an ugly team, but they make our game ugly.”
Venbanyama scored 25 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, but his stat line was flawed.
He turned the ball over seven times and went 1-for-7 from 3-point range, and he later pointed to his hesitation as a factor.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said the contrast before and after this period was stark.
“I think if you watch us a little bit this year, the best version of us is speed, energy, space, pace,” Johnson said, “whether it's ball movement, body movement or a combination of both. It felt like we were in quicksand during that stretch, every aspect of it.”
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