San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (R) takes a shot over New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday in San Antonio. Photo by Adam Davis/EPA
Victor Wembanyama said he isn’t “worried in the slightest” after the New York Knicks beat his San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The Spurs center made the comments after the Knicks staged a comeback 105-95 victory Wednesday in San Antonio. Wembanyama scored 26 points, but made just 6 of 21 shots. He missed 12 of 16 attempts over the final three quarters.
“We’ve been down in a series before, never in the Finals obviously, but I’m not kicking myself about anything really,” Wembanyama told reporters.
“I’m not worried in the slightest.”
Neither team shot well in the best-of-seven game series opener. The Knicks held a 41.5% to 36% shooting edge. They outshot the Spurs 40.9% to 28.6% in the fourth quarter. The Knicks outscored the Spurs 50-42 in the paint, 28-20 off the bench and 19-14 in points off turnovers.
They totaled just eight turnovers, compared to the Spurs’ 13, with just one giveaway in the second half.
The Knicks constantly put pressure on Wembanyama, sending multiple defenders at him in an effort to make his offensive looks difficult. He finished the night with 12 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, but also logged six turnovers.
“Every team guards differently,” Wembanyama said. “I’m going to figure it out. I was bad [Wednesday]. It’s not more complicated than that.”
The Spurs (0-1) will host the Knicks (1-0) in Game 2 at 8:30 p.m EDT Friday in San Antonio. The Knicks will host the Spurs in Game 3 on Monday in New York.
“It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out,” Wembanyama said. “It’s almost like I have to play normal, not even good [in Game 2]. Just doing the right things enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, it is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better.
“I’m going to be so much better.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said he will work on getting Wembanyama moving more in space and toward the rim throughout the remainder of the series.
“We need the pressure on the rim and the force in the paint,” Johnson said. “They did a good job of being physical and showing crowds. But we need to do a better job of establishing that early on, for sure.”
