What a way to kick off the NBA Finals.
The Knicks went into the Frost Bank Center, faced a 14-point deficit in the third quarter, dealt with injuries, foul trouble, and one of the most intimidating physical presences the league has ever seen – and still found a way to win. New York took Game 1 from the Spurs 105-95 in San Antonio, extending their historic playoff winning streak to 12 games. Twelve. In a row. Right now, this team is just different.
But let’s not sugarcoat how messy this one actually was, because it was messy.
It started with the injury scares, plural. In the first quarter, Harrison Barnes came down on Jalen Brunson‘s right knee and Brunson limped off the court. He came back in the second quarter off the bench. Then, just when you thought the worst was behind the Knicks, Luke Kornet stepped on Brunson’s left ankle and left him screaming on the floor. He came back from that too. And it wasn’t just Brunson – Karl-Anthony Towns took a hard fall against Victor Wembanyama and appeared to hurt his back before getting up and playing through it. Josh Hart picked up early foul trouble and barely played seven minutes in the first half. The Knicks were essentially playing the first two quarters with one hand tied behind their back.
And meanwhile, Wembanyama was out there doing Wembanyama things.
The 7’5 alien was an absolute monster protecting the rim. While he was on the court, the Knicks simply could not score. They couldn’t attack the basket. They were forced into pull-up jumpers and mid-range attempts that kept clanging off iron. The Spurs had all the momentum.
New York struck first, taking a 14-7 early lead, but San Antonio hit back with a 20-3 run to close out the first quarter with a 27-19 advantage – the only quarter the Spurs would win, as it turns out. In the second, Jose Alvarado stepped in for Brunson while he was managing his legs and delivered beautifully, posting 7 points in about six and a half minutes. A three from Landry Shamet briefly gave New York a 43-42 edge, but the Spurs finished the half on a 13-5 run and took a comfortable lead into the locker room.
The third quarter started even worse. The Knicks managed just 3 points in the first six minutes while San Antonio pushed the lead to 65-51 on a collective team effort. The whole time Wembanyama was on the floor, New York was stuck. But when Luke Kornet came in to replace him? That’s when things started to shift. The Knicks began to find openings, began to attack, began to breathe. By the time Wembanyama returned to the court, New York had already chopped the lead to 67-61. That push carried a momentum with it that the Knicks never let go of. The two teams were knotted at 76 heading into the fourth.
Then OG Anunoby just took over. He scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, opening with 8 straight – a two-pointer, then a pair of threes – to give the Knicks an 86-81 lead. The Spurs responded quickly, with Stephon Castle nailing a three and Devin Vassell adding a tip-in to tie it, but once the Brunson burner is lit, it stays lit.
Eight straight points from Brunson put New York up 94-86 with 6:07 remaining. Wembanyama, sensing the game slipping, responded with a three, then scored again, then made his free throws, and somehow, improbably, the Spurs retook the lead 95-94 with two minutes left. For a moment, it felt like all the chaos of the night might catch up with the Knicks.
It didn’t.
Brunson hit a tough corner three to retake the lead. DeAaron Fox missed on the other end. Mikal Bridges was sent to the line with 1:11 left and made both. Wembanyama had to bail his team out with a quick possession but Josh Hart – Josh Hart! – forced a turnover, and Brunson finished the sequence with a jump shot to make it 101-95. Wembanyama launched a desperate three with 32 seconds left, missed, and as the Knicks were fouled late, OG Anunoby went 4-for-4 from the line. Ballgame. The Frost Bank Center went quiet, and Knicks fans made their presence felt from wherever they were watching.
Brunson finished with 30 points, 13 of them in the fourth quarter alone. He answered every single test this game threw at him – the knee, the ankle, the foul trouble around him, the alien guarding the paint – and delivered when it mattered most. That’s just who he is at this point.
Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds despite the back scare, while Mitchell Robinson was excellent on the defensive end and made his presence felt with 6 rebounds and a nice lob finish over Kornet during the stretches KAT was resting. Landry Shamet came up big off the bench with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting including 3-of-6 from deep. Miles McBride chipped in 6 points, all from behind the arc – including the one that tied the game at the end of the third.
Wembanyama led San Antonio with 26 points but struggled shooting, going 6-of-21 from the field and 2-of-9 from three. Castle added 17, while Julian Champagne and rookie Dylan Harper each contributed 16.
One interesting number: the Knicks actually outscored the Spurs in the paint, 50-42. And they were efficient at the free throw line – 16-of-18 to San Antonio’s 20-of-25. It wasn’t pretty, and it was never supposed to be easy. But New York found a way.
The Knicks have stolen home court advantage in the NBA Finals.
rady
KnicksOnline.com founder. Software tester by day time, sports shooter by free time. Rocking with the orange and blue since the mid 90s.