San Antonio’s brutal loss to the Knicks prompts a warning from analysts

As the NBA world reacts to the New York Knicks signing Victor Vembanyama and San Antonio Spurs‘ 11-game winning streak, ESPN Brian Windhorst considered a warning to fans. Defeat Vembanyama and Spurs 114-89 to the Knicks ended a long winning streak, but also showed San Antonio’s weaknesses.

The Spurs never recovered from a 19-0 Knicks run run in the second quarterwhich reminded some of their inexperience, Windhorst said, according to ESPN’s First Take.

“I’m not going to overreact to a midday game at the Garden. If you’re making an argument why the Spurs won’t win, you saw it yesterday,” Windhorst said. “They didn’t handle it when the Knicks hit some shots. It was a 19-0 run in the second quarter. You’re not going to win the playoffs when you give up a 19-0 run on the road. So you see things like that.”

The Spurs also finished 9-for-34 from beyond the 3-point arc (26.5%) against the Knicks.

“They’re still, as a team, inconsistent in 3-point shooting. When they get to the playoffs, opposing teams, when they’re able to do game plans that are completely set for a playoff series, they’re going to make them make 3-pointers. And they’re going to want Victor Wembanyama to make 3-pointers. They’re still 3-point percentage. The NBA is still a 3-point league.”

“If you’re making an argument why Spurs won’t win, you saw it yesterday.”

—@WindhorstESPN due to concerns about the Spurs’ NBA title hopes 👀 pic.twitter.com/EDFohIBK2g

— First Take (@FirstTake) March 2, 2026

Brian Windhorst says 3-point shooting and experience are obvious weaknesses for the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama’s confession after Spurs’ defeat

Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama took responsibility for Sunday’s 25-point defeat to Nix. While he admits the Knicks’ defense has limited him in finding his offensive rhythm, Wembanyama also says he would like to pass the ball more as the Spurs have fallen into a huge deficit.

“I think they did put in a little bit of physicality, but not even the most that we’ve seen… For some reason, we hesitated a little bit… I was hesitant especially on threes… I held the ball too much… We gave them life. We should have been better, especially in the first quarter. That was the game.”

Vembanjama finished with 25 points on 8-for-17 shooting, 13 rebounds and four blocks in Sunday’s loss.