When the New York Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, who were without De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama and would be for the remainder of the season, it appeared as though they would win their second straight game. However, the Knicks lost in traditional trap game manner, falling down 120-105 in a game they led for the majority of. This seems to be a recurring trend over the previous few days.
In an unexpected twist in the tale, the Knicks fell behind by as many as 28 points, thanks in large part to the unconscious shooting performance from backup center Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had himself the game of his life on Wednesday night. Mamukelashvili, despite playing in just 19 minutes off the bench, put up 34 points thanks to a bonkers 13-14 shooting night from the field and a perfect 7-7 from beyond the arc.
After the game, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau called out his team’s defense, as they were very lackadaisical when it came to defending Mamukelashvili and the rest of the Spurs team that went 16-35 from beyond the arc.
“Defensively, we were a step behind. We got in a big hole. Tough to get out of,” Thibodeau said, per Philip Martinez of SNY. “Sometimes a guy can get hot. We got to make sure that he puts it down. Sandro had a great game, but we really didn’t take anything away. When our ball pressure got better in the third quarter, then our defense picked up. That’s how we have to play. As I said, we were a step behind all night.”
This is the kind of defensive performance that the Knicks cannot afford, especially with Jalen Brunson still on the mend due to an ankle injury, and they will want to redeem themselves tomorrow night when they take on the Charlotte Hornets.
Only four times in his career had Sandro Mamukelashvili scored more than 20 points in a single game before Wednesday night. Nobody could have predicted that he would play so well for the Spurs, and in so few minutes off the bench, at that. The Knicks undoubtedly respected Mamukelashvili more after that outstanding effort.
“He has a purpose for playing in the NBA. We weren’t engaged in or concentrated enough to see what was happening, and he’s a terrific player. Josh Hart said, “I didn’t have the IQ.”
