New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown praised San Antonio while acknowledging his team’s shortcomings following Wednesday’s 134-132 loss. “Great win by San Antonio. They just out, excuse my French, outworked us in a lot of different ways,” he said.
Brown singled out Julian Champagnie for his performance. “He was fantastic. He shot the mess out the ball and made the shots. It was a little disappointing… we didn’t respect him in transition and let him shoot wide open threes,” he explained.
The Knicks struggled with free-throw disparity, giving up 40 attempts. “That’s a huge disadvantage… some of our fouls, especially early on, could have been avoided. We pick up some silly fouls, and now they’ve got 20 free throws to our 5 or 10,” Brown said.
San Antonio converted 11 offensive rebounds into 23 second-chance points, a key factor in the win. “Our multiple effort was not good. We stood there, they got the rebound, and we didn’t fly around. That gave them an advantage on second-chance points,” he said.
Brown also addressed his team’s defensive intensity. “Our physicality… we haven’t figured out how to be physical for 48 minutes in the last… games. We just haven’t been able to sustain anything defensively for 48 minutes,” he admitted.
Despite Jalen Brunson’s 29 points, including a clutch three-pointer, Brown emphasized lapses in defensive focus. “We at times just think, ‘we’re good.’ There has to be a sense of urgency defensively for 48 minutes. When you play in spurts, you give teams hope, and they’re going to find a way,” he said.
The coach reflected on Victor Wembanyama’s absence late in the game and Luke Kornet’s impact. “Wemby’s out, you put attention there, and maybe you exhale a little. But it’s how we play throughout the game—three or four bad defensive plays in a row, and it’s in our control,” Brown explained.
Brown concluded with a reminder about the team’s responsibility. “I truly believe the guys care and want to do the right thing. We just haven’t done it. We have to sustain what we’re trying to do defensively for 48 minutes,” he said.
