The New York Knicks extended their impressive winning streak, taking their first victory in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Jalen Brunson led the team by scoring 30 points. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 on Wednesday night.
OG Anunoby added 17 points to the team’s success. With this victory, the Knicks have now won 12 consecutive playoff games, marking them as the seventh team in NBA history to achieve such a streak. They also made history by becoming the first team to defeat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the championship series. Previously, the Spurs held a 6-0 record in opening games of the finals. This marks the first time the Spurs have trailed in a finals series before its conclusion.
In contrast, Victor Wembanyama stood out for the Spurs with 26 points and 12 rebounds, though he managed to shoot only six for 21 in his finals debut. Stephon Castle added 17 points, whereas Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each contributed 16 points for San Antonio.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in San Antonio. Former coach Gregg Popovich, a fixture in every finals game in Spurs history, attended the match from a suite, along with Spurs legends like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili. In the audience were also Knicks great Patrick Ewing and famous New York fans like Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, and Timothée Chalamet.
The Knicks displayed an early lead of 14-7, but the Spurs fired back with a 20-13 run to take a 10-point advantage. The second quarter exhibited six lead changes before San Antonio held a 55-48 advantage at halftime.
San Antonio pushed their lead to 14 points midway through the third quarter, but the Knicks rallied with a 22-9 run to close the period, tying the game at 76 heading into the fourth quarter. New York managed an eight-point lead midway through the final period. Despite Wembanyama’s two free throws putting the Spurs ahead 95-94 with 2:16 remaining, Brunson’s corner three secured the Knicks’ lead to the finish.
The San Antonio Spurs have faced tight final series before. They tied twice with New Jersey in 2003, twice with Detroit in 2005, and three times with Miami in 2013, which they lost in seven games. They also tied once more with Miami in 2014, but this game marked a unique defeat for them.