Spurs Overcome Large Deficit to Defeat Knicks; Wembanyama Suffers Knee Injury

In a thrilling showdown reminiscent of an NBA Finals matchup, the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit to secure a 134-132 victory against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Despite the excitement surrounding the close contest, the postgame attention shifted to Spurs’ standout forward Victor Wembanyama, who exited the game with 10:32 remaining after suffering a hyperextended left knee.

"I have not been able to talk to the medical staff yet, but I saw what everybody else saw," said Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. "There's a visual there, but he finished the game on the bench with his teammates, so that made me feel good. I have no idea what to say, but it was good to see him walk back out and finish the game with his teammates."

Wembanyama described feeling soreness after the game but expressed optimism about his recovery, stating he was "very confident" he would not miss time due to the injury. Nonetheless, prioritizing his health, the Spurs have decided to rest him during their upcoming Friday game against the Indiana Pacers, citing left knee soreness.

The Spurs overcame a challenging first half, trailing the Knicks by 10 points at halftime and nine points entering the final quarter. Their resilience shone through in the closing minutes as they outscored New York 41-30, snapping a two-game losing streak with a vital home victory.

Johnson praised his team's effort: "I thought we were not very good for a lot of stretches in the first half, but the competitive response and the energy we were putting as the game went on into the right areas, we felt it. I was extremely proud of guys who stepped up tonight, especially those guys in the fourth quarter."

A standout performance came from Julian Champagnie, who established a franchise record by sinking 11 three-pointers, tallying a career-high 36 points. The fourth-year player took all 17 of his shot attempts beyond the arc, surpassing his previous personal best by five.

Champagnie reflected on the team's mindset: "I think we've been there before when it comes to a guy going down and someone having to step up and figure things out. For us (Wednesday), it was one of those things where we dropped two at home, Utah and Cleveland, but we want to protect our home court."

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers confront a difficult season, currently enduring a 10-game losing streak. They narrowly fell to the Orlando Magic 112-110 on Wednesday and hold the league's worst record at 6-28 heading into 2026.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle commented on his team's inconsistent performance: "The real question should be why did we give up 68 points in the first half and only 44 in the second half? And that's because in the second half, we played like a together team that was supporting each other and not like strangers. That's how this has got to be. We're having too much pity nonsense going on during games that needs to go away."