Spurs need Wembanyama to play bigger in Game 2

Spurs need – After a clunky Game 1, San Antonio heads into Game 2 on Friday night with one urgent fix: Victor Wembanyama needs to be more of a presence at both ends. His 6-for-21 shooting in Game 1 came with only 43% of attempts coming in the paint, and the Spurs also stru

SAN ANTONIO — Game 1 didn’t just end with a Knicks win. It left a clear message on both sidelines: everyone will play better than that.

New York took the victory, but it was their worst offensive game of the playoffs. San Antonio, meanwhile, saw its own low point land in a larger season-wide context: it was the Spurs’ third-worst offensive game across 102 games.

The matchup stayed tight and electric. This was the fifth Knicks game in these playoffs that was decided with the score within five points in the last five minutes. But the way points were produced—especially late in the clock—makes it hard to ignore what comes next.

Game 2 arrives on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. And for the Spurs, it starts with one person who has to change the rhythm of the floor.

Victor Wembanyama has to play bigger on both ends

In Game 1, Victor Wembanyama finished with 6-for-21 shooting (29%), and that ranked as his third-worst shooting performance of the season. The detail that matters is volume: it came with a minimum of 15 shots. Even more telling, only nine of those 21 attempts—43%—came in the paint, compared to 58% during the regular season. He made just four of the nine paint attempts.

Getting Wembanyama easier looks near the rim is never simple, especially against the Knicks, a team that prioritizes rim protection over defending the perimeter. The Spurs can draw up pick-and-rolls, but the Knicks’ weak-side defenders aren’t allowing him to roll untouched for clean lobs.

Still. those same actions can create the kind of advantage that leads to dominance inside: good post position as his defender recovers back. Even when Wembanyama gets bumped by another defender. he can beat his man toward the restricted area. plant near the basket. and command the ball and/or a double-team.

Game 1 showed how much the Spurs need that closer connection—there were similar opportunities where he drifted away from the basket.

San Antonio needs the 7-foot-4 player to play big on both ends of the floor. If the Spurs are going to reverse how clunky things felt, they’ll need him to set the tone more consistently in the paint, and they’ll need that presence to show up defensively as well.

The Knicks lean into late-clock execution — and it matters

The Knicks insist they want to play fast, a message delivered by head coach Mike Brown: “want to play fast.” The logic is straightforward—early offense is usually better than late offense.

But Game 1 was full of the opposite. The Knicks took 34 shots in the last seven seconds of the shot clock. That total is tied for the sixth-most field-goal attempts in the last seven seconds for any team in any game this season across the regular season. Play-In and playoffs. It also included 12 of their 22 shots in the fourth quarter.

The Spurs felt that pattern when New York went scoreless on six straight possessions in the fourth. Every one of those possessions ended with missed shots late in the clock. Still. the Knicks’ late-game shooting line was uneven rather than disastrous: they shot 9-for-34 (26%) overall in the last seven seconds of the clock on Wednesday. including 3-for-12 (from 3-point range).

Somehow, that was still enough to win.

Jalen Brunson put the game away with the Knicks’ final late-clock shot of the night: a fadeaway against Devin Vassell in the final minute.

And it’s not just that the Knicks were willing to live in the late clock. The numbers suggest they’re comfortable there. Among 67 players with at least 300 field-goal attempts in the last seven seconds of the shot clock over the last two seasons (regular season and playoffs). the Knicks’ five starters rank third. fifth. sixth. 10th and 12 in late-clock effective field-goal percentage.

The list includes players such as Kevin Durant (288 FGM. 569 FGA. 50.6% FG; 67 3PM. 154 3PA. 43.5% 3P; eFG% 56.5%). Giannis Antetokounmpo (161 FGM. 303 FGA. 53.1% FG; 3 3PM. 25 3PA. 12.0% 3P; eFG% 53.6%). and Jalen Brunson (370 FGM. 817 FGA. 45.3% FG; 92 3PM. 264 3PA. 34.8% 3P; eFG% 50.9%). The broader table also lists Payton Pritchard (293 FGM. 691 FGA. 42.4% FG; 116 3PM. 339 3PA. 34.2% 3P; eFG% 50.8%). Kawhi Leonard (163 FGM. 367 FGA. 44.4% FG; 45 3PM. 133 3PA. 33.8% 3P; eFG% 50.5%). and Josh Hart (216 FGM. 518 FGA. 41.7% FG; 79 3PM. 245 3PA. 32.2% 3P; eFG% 49.3%). among others.

The Spurs, by contrast, weren’t trying to rush. Only 12 of their 89 shots in Game 1 came in the last seven seconds of the shot clock.

And the Knicks understand what they want from their own possessions. Stephon Castle said Thursday: “I think for the most part just we didn’t make the extra pass as much as we usually do. We kind of settled a lot more than we usually do. I think Coach preaches a lot — try and find better each possession, try and find the best shot.”.

New York and San Antonio have already met four times in the series. and three of the seven times the Knicks have taken at least 29 shots in the last seven seconds of the clock have come from those games. In Game 2. that late offense is likely to show up again—and the Knicks’ ability to execute in the final few seconds could decide whether they return to New York with a 2-0 lead.

Switching and the glass still decide the margins

Game 1 also turned on second chances.

The Spurs finished with more offensive rebounds—14 compared to the Knicks’ 10. But second chances don’t all come from offensive rebounds. They can also come from loose-ball fouls or rebounds that go out of bounds off the defense. Even so, second-chance points landed heavily on New York’s side: 23-14 in favor of the Knicks.

San Antonio switched ball screens “pretty liberally” on Wednesday, and it created mismatches for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Early in the second quarter, Wembanyama switched a Towns screen for Jose Alvarado, which left De’Aaron Fox on Towns. Towns took Fox into the paint and drew help, leading to a catch-and-shoot 3 for Miles McBride.

Later in the second, Wembanyama switched a Towns screen for Brunson and successfully defended the ensuing isolation, another late-clock shot. Towns then took Castle into the paint and drew a loose-ball foul, leading to two free throws.

The Spurs will likely keep switching, because it’s the kind of choice that can manufacture those late-clock situations—especially when the Knicks aren’t winning early advantages.

But the immediate shot isn’t the only battleground. The glass will keep mattering throughout the series.

Analytical thread: the same two forces kept colliding in Game 1

Wembanyama’s paint involvement lagged behind his regular-season share. and the Knicks’ offense repeatedly found life in the last seven seconds of the shot clock. The Spurs tried to change the matchup picture through switching. yet the late-game misses they forced didn’t erase New York’s comfort working late—and the rebound numbers showed that second chances were available. but not consistently rewarded for San Antonio.

What that means going forward is simple: Game 2 will hinge on whether San Antonio gets Wembanyama back into the middle of possessions, while New York continues to manufacture late-clock shots with enough precision to make those final seconds swing the game.

Victor Wembanyama Spurs Knicks NBA Finals Game 2 Jalen Brunson Mike Brown Stephon Castle Devin Vassell Karl-Anthony Towns Jose Alvarado Miles McBride De'Aaron Fox