The New York Knicks erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit and closed with an 11-0 run to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, handing New York a 1-0 series lead.
Jalen Brunson finished with 30 points and did the bulk of his damage late — 13 of those points came in the fourth quarter. He was 5-for-9 in the period after entering the final frame 7-of-22 from the field. Karl‑Anthony Towns added 18 points and 12 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 17 with 12 of them in the fourth, and Josh Hart finished with 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three points. New York committed no turnovers in the fourth and extended its playoff winning streak to 12 games, a mark tied for the second-longest postseason streak in league history.
The defining run came after the Spurs led 95-94 with 2:16 remaining. San Antonio never scored again, missing 15 of 21 shots in the final 12 minutes (28.6% in that span) and giving the ball away five times down the stretch. Victor Wembanyama still finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, but he was 6-of-21 from the field overall.
The comeback was textured by physicality and risk. Brunson injured his right knee in the first quarter and his left ankle in the second, briefly left the game and returned to the bench with 8:03 left in the second quarter. Despite those setbacks and his early shooting struggles, he powered New York’s finish — prompting coach Mike Brown to say, "Jalen was MVP in the second half" and, later, "He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home and we put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch." Teammates saw the same survival instinct; Towns said, "When I saw him walk back to the bench, it was a relief feeling."
San Antonio’s late collapse underlined the turnover gap and cold shooting that flipped the game. The Spurs were 6-for-21 in the final quarter and coughed the ball up five times in those 12 minutes, while New York protected possession and attacked in transition and late-clock sets. Anunoby’s 12 fourth-quarter points and Brunson’s efficiency in the period were the two clearest momentum levers for the visitors.
Beyond the scoreboard, the win carried historical weight: this was New York’s first NBA Finals game since 1999 and San Antonio’s first since 2014, and it stretched the Knicks’ unbeaten playoff run to a dozen games. That run framed the night — New York arrived at the Finals already on an 11‑game streak and left with it intact and amplified.
San Antonio’s response was blunt and measured. Wembanyama, refusing to dramatize a single loss, said, "He’s an elite player" about Brunson and added, "We’re going to have many more chances. It’s the first-to-four series. We’re going to have time to work on it." The immediate question is whether the Spurs can make those adjustments quickly enough to blunt Brunson, who, despite injuries and an ugly first three quarters, authored the comeback.
Game 2 now looms as the decisive early test: can San Antonio fix the late turnovers and cold shooting that cost them the opener, or will New York’s streak and Brunson’s finishing carry into a potentially momentum-swinging road victory? For readers tracking playoff pivots across sports, see Jack Eichel says Golden Knights are playing their best hockey as they head into Game 2 — — for a different take on how teams handle short-series adjustments.
