San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks
Team Totals:
Injury Report:
Spurs projected starters: Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembanyama
Knicks projected starters: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns
Mitch quotes: Said Sochan “guarded his butt off” on Monday, said the 76ers had better spacing in the second half against them, said Wemby is playing with more force.
Thibs quotes: Said he didn’t like how they were fouling and they’re “a low foul team” and they have to look at that.
Stats and Notes:
*The Spurs continue to play some really good defense right now with four solid games in a row. Part of that is because of the schedule, but they’ve improved from being a bottom-10 defense. Their rim defense has improved a ton, but their transition defense has slipped. They’re also really giving it up to handlers right now, so it’s setting up for the on-ball guys to produce against them. For the Knicks, their offense has just been humming, as they have moved to first in the NBA. Their defense was also trending up before the Raptors put 125 on them. The Knicks have gotten worse with their transition defense, as they’ve slipped to 11th-most points allowed, and they are also giving up the most PNR handler points in the league.
*Victor Wembanyama still has no interest in attacking the rim and has just seven rim points combined in his last three games. His spot-up frequency is up and he’s up to 7.7 C&S attempts per game from the 4.1 last year. The matchup isn’t all that great with the Knicks rebounding the ball well with the second-best rebounding percentage, and they don’t allow many blocks. I would also expect OG Anunoby to guard him. He’s just OK here.
*Devin Vassell’s offensive role still isn’t where it should be. He’s been spotting up a ton and his PNR frequency is just 16.7% (25.0% last year). That works against him a little here with the Knicks really getting killed on that play. He’s likely going to see Mikal Bridges, which has been an advantageous spot at times. He’s my favorite Spur here, especially since he’s showing some minutes ceiling.
The NBA is Back! We'll Get You Ready.
Our team includes renowned fantasy analysts Drew Dinkmeyer and Mike Gallagher, high-stakes professional DFS players, and a team of analysts working together to create high-quality projections and content.
We don’t sell lineups or claim to have all of the answers. We do analyze what’s happening in a way that’s digestible and actionable, with a goal of preparing you to make the best decisions possible during the 2021-2022 NBA season.
Read on to learn what’s inside our In-Season NBA subscription.
Full Details » Already a subscriber? Log In
