Mikal Bridges, Knicks Stifle Spurs In Christmas Thriller

Mikal Bridges' epic Christmas showing guided the New York Knicks to a thrilling victory.

Dec 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) spots up to shoot on New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Thanks to Mikal Bridges' holiday breakout, the New York Knicks ensured it would not be a Joyeux Noel for Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

A historic Christmas performance from Bridges helped the Knicks hold off a furious interconerfence challenge from the Spurs, as New York opened the NBA's five-game holiday slate with a thrilling 117-114 victory.

Dec 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) gestures after making a three point shot in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Though Wembanyama was stealing headlines, Bridges granted the final gift to those gathered at Madison Square Garden with a 41-point performance, 15 of those tallies coming in the fourth as the Knicks engaged in a comeback effort after falling behind 19-6 in the period's scoring.

Wembanyama lived up to his hyped billing in his first Christmas showing, putting up 42 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks in his Yuletide debut. His scoring output was three short of the First Noel record held by Wilt Chamberlain.

The 41 points earned by Bridges are the second-most in a Knicks Christmas effort, behind only Bernard King's legendary 60 against the New Jersey Nets in 1984. Wednesday's win also gave the Knicks the NBA's all-time lead in Christmas wins at 25, as they now have sole possession pending the result of the Los Angeles Lakers' night game against Golden State.

The Knicks (20-10) have now won five in a row and earned at least 20 wins through their first 30 for the 13th time in franchise history and for the first time since 2012-13.

Bridges set the tone for the Knicks by hitting his first four shots in the opening period, stabilizing an uneven early period that saw them go 1-of-11 from deep (Bridges, appropriately, hit the single three). Primarily sustained by Wembanyama's young mastery, as his 24 points and 11 rebounds were enough to create a 58-51 lead at the half despite losing 10 turnovers that yielded 16 Knicks points.

Wembanyama's seventh rebound gave him 1000 in his NBA career begun last season and became just the second player in NBA history to tally at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 350 blocks through his first 100 games since fellow Spurs star David Robinson.

Once Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson united to score the fist six points of the second half, neither team led by more than five until the Knicks tipped off a 10-0 run over the final 1:55 that seemed to shift momentum in their favor. Bridges had unique three-pointers in that span, earning a successful and-one before closing it out with a three-pointer hit with just over 28 seconds remaining that created the final 88-83 margin.

But San Antonio immediately responded with the aforementioned run of its own: once Wembanyama got some help, the Spurs (15-15) were able to expand their lead to threatening levels: with Jeremy Sochan manning the deep areas (perfect 3-of-3 from three in the second half), Wembanyama scored 11 points in the race back up while Tre Jones added another five and assisted on Julian Champagnie's three before capping things off with a scary dagger in the form of an and-one, creating an eight-point lead with 7:16 remaining.

Dec 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) reacts after hitting a three point shot in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Three consecutive threes from the Knicks officially set the stage for a New York-Texas shootout: countering assistance from Sochan, the Knicks took their last lead when Miles McBride broke a 109-all tie with a three-pointer at 2:43. Two jumpers from Bridges and a Josh Hart free throw created a seemingly impenetrable six-point advantage entering the final minute.

Chris Paul's three-pointer with 41 seconds left, however, forced the Knicks to work a little overtime on the holiday but San Antonio never touched the ball after that: though the Knicks failed to hit a shot on their final possession, Hart's game of physical keep-away sealed the deal, as his crucial offensive rebounds helped run out the clock and send MSG into holiday hysterics.

Those fateful boards secured a serendipitous double-double for Hart, who had 12 points and rebounds. Towns' streak of double-doubles came to an end at 18 but he nonetheless tallied 21 points and nine rebounds while Jalen Brunon had 20 and nine assists despite going 0-of-5 from deep. Precious Achiuwa hauled in 10 rebounds in 20 minutes and was a team-best plus-14 while Towns dealt with foul trouble.

Behind Wembanyama, Sochan had 21 points as San Antonio fell to 8-1 when shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. The Spurs, who have dropped two in a row after winning four of their previous five, will have a shot at revenge against the Knicks when they visit Frost Bank Center in March.

In the meantime, New York immediately hits the road for a three-game road trip to close out the calendar year, starting with a Friday night tilt against the Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET, MSG).

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