New York didn’t have an especially strong shooting night during its upset win. Not on its initial attempts of the possession, at least. Collectively, the Knicks netted just 41 percent of their shots overall and misfired on 25 of their 36 long-range looks.
Where they pushed the margin in their favor, though, was with their work on the offensive glass (10 rebounds) and their ability to convert those extra opportunities into buckets. While the Spurs actually snagged more offensive boards (14), the Knicks had a nine-point edge in second-chance points (23-14). And, remember, they won this game by 10.
“We had to find other ways to score,” Knicks coach Mike Brown told reporters.
The Spurs will surely make this an emphasis in their Game 2 game plan, but it may not matter. The Knicks have serious size underneath with 7-footers Towns and Mitchell Robinson. And since Wembanyama is so often pulled away from the basket to contest shots or even switch out to the perimeter, the ‘Bockers bigs are often left battling against players who don’t have the bulk needed to push them away from the basket.
Look for the Knicks to keep hitting the glass hard in Game 2. While Towns and Robinson combined for 18 rebounds in Game 1, our crystal ball is calling for even more glass-cleaning in this contest.