The New York Knicks were 14 points down in the second half, on the road in San Antonio. Jalen Brunson was managing a first-quarter knee scare. Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and was finding his footing. None of it mattered in the end.
Brunson twisted his knee on a first-quarter contact, was checked briefly, and came back without any visible effect on his movement. He was steady through the first three quarters – four points, nine points, four points – before taking over when it counted.
He finished with 30 points on 12-for-31 shooting, including 5-of-9 in the fourth quarter alone. His corner three-pointer with two minutes remaining gave the Knicks the lead for good. It was his only three of the night, kept for exactly the moment it was needed. Final score: 105-95, Knicks.
The 30 points are the most by a Knicks player in a Finals Game 1 since Willis Reed put up 37 in the same situation back in 1970.
Hart and Towns set the stage
Karl-Anthony Towns posted 18 points and 12 rebounds, providing the interior anchor New York needed facing the Spurs’ size. Josh Hart was everywhere else: 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals. Not a line that leads the highlights, but exactly the kind of performance that decides playoff series.
The Knicks trailed by 14 in the third quarter before slowly clawing back. Brunson re-entered at 7:37 of the fourth with the score tied. He left 13 points later, with a 10-point Knicks advantage and a 1-0 series lead packed into his stat line.
Twelve straight – and a history note that stings in San Antonio
The victory extended New York’s postseason winning streak to 12 consecutive games, the second longest single-postseason run in NBA history, behind only the 2017 Golden State Warriors (15 straight).
The footnote almost writes itself. The only other team to win 12 straight in a single postseason was the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, whose 11th and 12th wins came against the Knicks in the Finals. The current Spurs are trying to flip that script.
Over those 12 games, New York has outscored opponents by 272 combined points – 30 more than Golden State managed across its entire 15-game run in 2017, per NBA.com.
Wembanyama’s debut: 26 points, 6-for-21
Wembanyama recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds in his first NBA Finals game, but shot just 6-for-21 from the field. One attempt clipped the top of the backboard. For a player who dominated the first two rounds of these playoffs, it was an uncharacteristic shooting night.
The Spurs generated good looks. Converting them at a higher rate is the main correction needed before Game 2, set for Friday, June 5, in San Antonio, per ESPN.
New York’s last title came in 1973. With 12 straight wins in this postseason, the Knicks are closer to ending that drought than they have been in a long time.
