Victor Wembanyama, Spurs fizzle on big stage in New York

NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama went to Madison Square Garden Wednesday morning for the San Antonio Spurs shootaround and took in the history that filled the building.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called it the best place to play basketball, and while Wembanyama agreed, noting the arena was “pretty special” after his debut there Wednesday night , the team’s performance was anything but.

The New York Knicks controlled the game from the start and were never threatened in a 126-105 victory.

“We are learning,” Wembanyama said. “As a young team, any team really, we’re going to have losing streaks sometimes during the season in tough times. It’s going to happen. But the most important thing is how to bounce back.”

It was the third straight loss for the Spurs, who have given up at least 120 points in seven of their eight games this season.

“We have good intentions and we also learned a lot defensively from the coaching staff, so we just try to implement what they say,” Wembanyama said.

“But I think the good thing is that we bring energy at all times, so it’s a good start. But we have great defensive potential. I know in the last few games, especially in Phoenix, we saw some great defensive sequences. We’re just putting it all together. “

After back-to-back wins over the Suns last week, the Spurs lost games to the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Knicks.

Popovich said all of the early games have the potential to be teaching moments for his team, which is the youngest in the league.

“Every game is a game of mistakes,” Popovich said. You learn when you win, you learn when you lose. But we will watch film, we will choose things for the team and for individual players. We would do the same thing if we had won the game.”

Wembanyama finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and a block. He didn’t make his first basket until 3:18 of the third quarter when he nailed a 9-foot jump shot. The crowd became rowdy when he threw two air balls in the first half, and some even booed him for part of the second.

The Knicks, like other teams have done, tried to be physical with Wembanyama. According to ESPN’s Stats & News Tracker, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson was the primary defender on Wembanayama’s six field goal attempts and held him without a field goal.

Wembanyama said he’s used to teams defending him physically — he said it happened in Europe before joining the NBA — and Spurs guard Tre Jones says that’s something to which San Antonio will have to adapt.

“Some teams will definitely try to attack him and stuff, be very aggressive with him, physical with him,” Jones said. “But it is what it is, and as long as he continues to develop like we know he will, it will be like that for as long as he plays, and so it’s something we’ll just get used to.

“We’ll have to have that in mind right away to know that we have to go out there, be the ones to bring that to these teams.”

With his first trip to the Garden under his belt, Wembanyama said he wants everyone to feel what he felt on Wednesday, but preferably with more victories to come.

“No matter how many times I play here,” Wembanyama said, “I hope it will always be special.”