The New York Knicks extended their remarkable playoff winning streak to 12 games with a 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Wednesday night. Despite trailing by 14 points in the third quarter, the Knicks rallied to take the lead early in the fourth and sealed the win with an 11-0 run in the closing minutes.
Jalen Brunson was the catalyst, scoring 30 points with 13 coming in the fourth quarter. He overcame a knee injury in the first quarter and an ankle issue later to lead his team. OG Anunoby added 17 points, 12 of which came in the final period, as the Knicks committed no turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, but shot just 6-of-21 from the field. He briefly limped off in the third quarter before returning. The Spurs committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter and shot 28.6% from the field in the period.
“Just sticking together – it wasn’t really our night and wasn’t really my night most of the night but we kept finding a way, kept chipping away,” Brunson said. “I think our togetherness was really the biggest difference.”
Wembanyama dismissed suggestions of nerves, saying: “I was bad tonight, it’s not more complicated than that. [Nerves were] not a factor in our performance.”
The game was briefly interrupted in the second half when a spectator ran onto the court to attempt a selfie with Wembanyama before being removed by security. Game 2 takes place in San Antonio on Friday, with the series moving to New York for Game 3 on Monday.
