Wembanyama exits with injury scare as Spurs beat Knicks and Champagnie sets franchise record
Wembanyama watched from the bench as San Antonio came back to win a NBA Cup final rematch, with Champagnie making franchise history from deep.
The biggest game of the final night of 2025 tipped off at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, where the Spurs hosted the New York Knicks in a highly anticipated rematch of the NBA Cup final played just weeks ago. That night, New York captured its first title in more than 50 years, a result that still stung in South Texas.
There was a clear sense of urgency inside the arena. San Antonio had stumbled unexpectedly in recent games, and this felt like a chance to make a statement before the calendar flipped. The game delivered on every level, and so did the Spurs, who sent their home crowd into the new year with a thrilling 134-132 victory.
Wembanyama injury sends a chill through San Antonio
The win carried enormous weight, especially considering how it unfolded. San Antonio erased a deficit of more than 10 points while Victor Wembanyama watched from the bench after suffering a left knee hyperextension late in the game.
The injury occurred with 10:32 remaining when Wembanyama came down awkwardly after grabbing a rebound. The mood inside the building instantly shifted. All 18,602 fans held their breath as the Spurs star lay on the floor grimacing in pain. The moment of fear was brief, at least initially. With help from Stephon Castle, Wembanyama got back to his feet and walked to the locker room under his own power.
After the game, Wembanyama said the medical staff had to hold him back from returning and that he does not expect the injury to be serious. The timing, however, raised eyebrows around the league. Just two days earlier, a similar knee hyperextension sidelined Nikola Jokic and is expected to keep him out for the next month.
Wemby’s dominant night cut short
Before leaving the game, Wembanyama had been spectacular. He finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in fewer than 24 minutes, anchoring the Spurs during a critical stretch in the second quarter when he scored 16 points almost single-handedly. He also helped spark the comeback in the third after the Knicks had built a lead that briefly pushed close to 20 points.
Wembanyama returned to the bench to watch the final 1:22 and the closing moments of a comeback that ultimately belonged to someone else.
Champagnie makes Spurs history
That someone was Julian Champagnie. The wing delivered the best offensive performance of his NBA career, pouring in a career-high 36 points while setting a franchise record with 11 made 3-pointers on 17 attempts.
The previous Spurs record for made threes in a game dated back to Dec. 30, 1997, when Chucky Person hit nine. Champagnie shattered that mark in style, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter alone and knocking down four of five attempts from deep as San Antonio completed the rally.
The performance capped a statement win that keeps the Spurs sitting second in the Western Conference and gave their fans a night to remember, even if it came with a brief and frightening reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in the NBA.
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