NEW YORK – High up on the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden, a video montage of blocked shots from yesterday’s New York Knicks played while DMX’s “Party Up” blared over the public address system.

Down the court, however, no Knick could jump high enough Wednesday to block a shot from Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 owner with a standing reach of nearly 10 feet. In his debut on Christmas Day, the Frenchman beat the Knicks with 42 points – the most scored by a visitor on Christmas at Madison Square Garden – with 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in a 117-114 San Antonio Spurs defeat offset by a 41-point effort from Mikal Bridges.

Wembanyama let out a deep sigh and paused for five seconds to reflect on his performance in a game where Spurs still had a chance to equalize in the final minute.

“I don’t even really know the history of the best Christmas plays,” Wembanyama said. “I’m just thinking about the game and I just think we were close in some points but relaxed.”

Wembanyama became the third player in NBA history to score more than 40 points and more than 15 rebounds in a Christmas game, after Wilt Chamberlain (1959 and 1961) and Nikola Jokic (2022). His 42-point performance ranks third in NBA history for a player making his Christmas debut behind Chamberlain (45) and Tracy McGrady (43).

“My God, man,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said of Wembanyama. “He’s different. The league will be in good hands when all the old guys and elder statesmen like LeBron (James) and (Kevin Durant) get out of (the sport). His release point is so high and his ability to hit shots, it opens everything up for them.”

The showdown marked just the third time in NBA history that there were two 40-point performances on Christmas Day. The last two came in 1961 in games that pitted Elgin Baylor against Oscar Robertson and Chamberlain against Richie Guerin.

Wembanyama has put together four straight games in which he hit at least four three-pointers and blocked four shots. The 20-year-old is the only player to reach these numbers in consecutive appearances.

“He imposed his will well and put his stamp on the game,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “Strong catches, finishes and attacks to the edge. Obviously he made some shots and did a good job defensively. I thought we bonded as a team and sometimes that brought out his individual abilities on that side.”

Wembanyama started slowly on offense, making just three of nine shots from the field in the first quarter while missing his first four attempts from 3-point range. On defense, he immediately caused a stir with a blocked shot three minutes into the game. In fact, the Spurs big man limited the Knicks to 3 of 13 shots as a starting defenseman on the day. Wembanyama, as a competing defenseman, held Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to 1 of 9 shots from the field.

“He uses his God-given attributes,” Towns said. “That makes him a special defensive player, as does his ability to cover space. He has the athleticism to move fast enough to get to the points. He is tall enough to alternate shots. He has been blessed by God and is using his talents for his family and the Spurs organization.”

Offensively, Wembanyama didn’t start to shine until the second quarter when he put up 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 7 rebounds and 2 three-pointers on 50% shooting. By halftime, Wembanyama had 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. It was only the third time in the last 25 years that a player scored at least 20 points with 10 boards before halftime of a Christmas game, joining Shaquille O’Neal (2000) and Anthony Davis (2015).

Wembanyama scored a game-high 6 three-pointers. But the setback at MSG marks the first time this season that San Antonio has lost a game in which it shot at least 40% from distance as a team.

The Knicks’ dominance on offense (17 offensive rebounds) played a role, as they outscored the Spurs 19-13 in second-chance points and outscored them 58-50 in paint scoring.

“I don’t think it was a game that was about momentum. I think it was a game about being dogs,” Wembanyama said. “When the clock starts ticking down — five minutes, three minutes — we allow them to throw a few rebounds at us. We allow them to move us a little too much. That’s what it was about. They didn’t win against us because.” They didn’t play better at all tonight. “We just proved that we’re not there yet. It works and we’re getting addicted. Playing like that is a big effort, but also a big reward.”

Before each game, when the clock shows that the competition is only 60 minutes away, the Spurs like to play a short trivia game on various basketball topics. According to point guard Chris Paul, who finished the game with seven assists, moving into seventh place on the all-time assists list for Christmas, scoring was the topic of discussion heading into the matchup against the Knicks on Christmas Day.

“We’re all trying to guess,” Paul said. “I think (McGrady) was there, Luka (Doncic). Vic had 42, so he’s on this list now, you know what I mean? We see him every day. So that doesn’t surprise us.” For us, the next step is to win these games.