Brunson Leads Late Knicks Comeback to Steal Game 1 in San Antonio
The New York Knicks opened the NBA Finals the way they have spent the entire postseason: winning, even when the game seemed to be slipping away.
The New York Knicks opened the NBA Finals the way they have spent the entire postseason: winning, even when the game seemed to be slipping away.
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit and beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
The victory extended New York’s playoff winning streak to 12 games, tying the 1999 Spurs for the second-longest single-postseason winning streak in NBA history. Only the 2017 Golden State Warriors, who opened the playoffs with 15 straight wins, have had a longer run.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 12 rebounds for New York, while OG Anunoby scored 17. The Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run and stole home-court advantage from a Spurs team that had never before lost Game 1 of an NBA Finals.
Brunson delivered the biggest shot of the night after Victor Wembanyama put San Antonio ahead 95-94 with two free throws with 2:16 left. On the next possession, Brunson buried a corner three to give the Knicks the lead for good. He later sealed the win with a spinning jumper while falling to the court with 38 seconds remaining.
“He’s a gamer,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “In the biggest moments, he shows up. That’s what MVPs are supposed to do.”
Wembanyama finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in his Finals debut, but struggled badly from the field, shooting just 6-for-21.
“I was bad tonight,” Wembanyama said. “It’s not more complicated than that.”
Stephon Castle scored 17 for San Antonio, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each added 16.
The Spurs led 55-48 at halftime and pushed the margin to 14 midway through the third quarter, but the Knicks answered with a 22-9 run to tie the game at 76 entering the fourth.
New York then took control late, continuing a dominant road playoff run. The Knicks have now won seven straight road playoff games by double digits, extending the longest streak of its kind in NBA postseason history.
Game 2 will be played Friday in San Antonio.
The Knicks are now three wins away from their first championship since 1973, but Brunson kept the tone measured.
“We have a long way to go,” he said.