New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (R) makes a layup past San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (C) during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday in San Antonio. Photo by Adam Davis/EPA
Jalen Brunson bent his body into razor-thin rifts in the San Antonio Spurs’ defense, finding the net from seemingly impossible angles to lead the New York Knicks to victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday in San Antonio.
Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter of the 105-95 victory. The Knicks trailed by 14 points in the third quarter and lost an eight-point lead in the fourth, but scored the final 11 points of the night to take an edge in the best-of-seven-game series.
“It wasn’t really our night, wasn’t really my night, most of the night,” Brunson said on the ESPN broadcast. “We kept finding a way, kept chipping away.”
With their first NBA Finals game win since 1999, the Knicks also extended their 2026 postseason streak to a dozen consecutive victories. That streak includes seven straight playoff wins on the road.
Neither team shot well in the gritty opener, with the Knicks holding a slight edge of 41.5% to 36%. The Knicks and Spurs combined to make just 22 of 79 attempts from 3-point range (27.8%).
The Knicks logged 20 assists against eight turnovers, including just one in the second half. The Spurs totaled seven giveaways over the final 24 minutes, including five in the fourth quarter.
“There were a lot of things, X and Os wise, that we could have done better,” said Brunson, who was 7 of 22 through three quarters and made 5 of 9 shots in the fourth. But I think, most importantly, our togetherness was the biggest difference.”
Brunson, who missed time in the first half due to a knee injury scare, said he’ll “be fine” when asked about his health status for the remainder of the series.
The Knicks opened Game 1 with an 8-2 run, but the Spurs settled in quickly. They used a 20-3 run to take command and carried a 27-19 advantage into the second frame.
Spurs guard Dylan Harper scored 10 points off the bench over the first 12 minutes.
The Knicks started the second quarter on a 11-4 run to cut into the deficit. They exchanged the lead with the Spurs six times in the quarter. The Spurs ended the half on an 8-2 run to hold a 55-48 lead at the break.
Spurs forward Julian Champagnie made each of his three 3-point attempts for nine points in the second quarter. He led all scorers with 15 points at halftime. San Antonio opened the second half with a 10-3 run, pushing their advantage to 14.
Brunson’s Knicks erased that deficit over the next five minutes. They outscored the Spurs 28-21 in the quarter and the score was tied 76-76 to start the fourth. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 10 of his 18 points in the third frame.
Brunson scored eight consecutive Knicks points to help the visitors take an eight-point lead with six minutes remaining. But the Knicks went ice cold, missing their next eight shots.
The Spurs scored nine-consecutive points to snatch back the lead during the drought. But they didn’t score again over the final 2:15, while Brunson closed out the series opener.
Towns totaled 12 rebounds and four assists, in addition to his 18 points. Knicks forward OG Anunoby logged 17 points. Guard Landry Shamet scored 13 off the Knicks bench.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama totaled 26 points and 12 rebounds, but also logged six giveaways. His Spurs (0-1) will host the Knicks (1-0) in Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. EDT Friday in San Antonio. Game 3 will be Monday in New York.
