Knicks rally – Trailing by 14 points in the second half, Jalen Brunson battled a knee and ankle injury and powered the New York Knicks to a 105-95 Game 1 upset over the San Antonio Spurs. OG Anunoby scored heavily in the fourth, and despite a strong second-half surge, Victor
The Knicks didn’t look like the team that was supposed to be chasing. Not in the early stretches, not when the Spurs controlled the rhythm, and certainly not when New York found itself down 14 points in the second half.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived. Frost Bank Arena felt like it was tipping toward San Antonio—until everything changed. New York endured a sluggish start to the third quarter. then stitched momentum together with a run that clawed the game back. culminating in an eight-point lead for the Knicks. That wasn’t just a recovery; it was a 22-point swing in the second half. the kind of shift that flips a championship series in the span of minutes.
The finish had the bite of a statement. A four-minute Knicks scoring drought in the fourth quarter gave the Spurs a chance to erase the deficit, but Brunson answered when it mattered most. A clutch triple from Jalen Brunson iced Game 1 and turned the comeback into a 105-95 victory.
Brunson carried the load on a night that began with trouble. The star guard scored 30 points to lead all scorers while battling a knee injury and an ankle injury he sustained in the first half. The knee injury came when Spurs forward Harrison Barnes fell backwards into Brunson. forcing the guard down the tunnel to be examined. He eventually returned and still delivered, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. After the game, Brunson said he was ‘fine’ after being checked by medical staff.
New York’s offensive rhythm didn’t only run through Brunson. OG Anunoby scored 12 of his 17 points in the game’s final quarter. turning the late period into a finishing stretch rather than a fading one. Josh Hart’s stat line carried a different kind of story: he finished with three points on a 1-for-5 shooting line. but added a game-high 15 rebounds along with six assists. four steals and a block—exactly the sort of night that doesn’t always show up on the scoreboard until you watch how many possessions it changes.
San Antonio had its own moments, and Victor Wembanyama refused to go quietly. After a sluggish first half—nine points and two rebounds—he turned things around and produced 17 points and ten rebounds in the second half. Spurs fans still felt the threat of each shot. even as the Knicks managed to get the better of him for most of the evening. finishing with Karl-Anthony Towns outplaying him for most of the game with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
But Wembanyama’s late errors proved expensive. His game-leading six turnovers came at the wrong time, and the closing sequence swung hard against the Spurs. A late turnover and a missed triple from the Frenchman spoiled any hopes of winning.
Even with the loss, there was enough production to confirm San Antonio wasn’t overmatched. Stephon Castle posted 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Julian Champagnie led all players with five triples to score 16 points and ten rebounds. Off the bench, Dylan Harper shot 6-for-10 and delivered 16 points and eight boards.
The Spurs, however, couldn’t get the consistency they needed, shooting only 36 percent from the field and 26 percent from beyond the arc.
One reason Game 1 felt so jarring for New York was the barrier it broke through before the final seconds even arrived: the Knicks came to the arena with history that had gone stale. The win was New York’s first victory in the NBA Finals since Game 3 of the 1999 championship series. which also happened to be against the Spurs. A notable contingent of Knicks fans made the trip to Frost Bank Arena. and in the end. the night gave them something to hold onto.
New York will try to keep that momentum when Game 2 of the Finals tips off on Friday evening in Texas.
NBA Finals Knicks Spurs Jalen Brunson Victor Wembanyama OG Anunoby Karl-Anthony Towns Game 1 Frost Bank Arena Harrison Barnes Stephon Castle
Wait they were down 14?? Knicks really just flipped it like that lol
Brunson scoring 30 while hurt is wild. Also Frost Bank Arena sounds fancy but everyone acts like Spurs were supposed to win anyway. I didn’t even finish the article but the headline already told me Knicks stole one.
So the Barnes thing where he fell backwards into Brunson is what caused the knee injury right? Kinda crazy they even let him back out. Either way Spurs lost the rhythm or whatever and I guess Anunoby showed up late. Also “Victor The Knicks”?? that typo is giving me confidence something else is off
I swear the Spurs always start strong and then just forget how to play defense in the second half. That 4-minute scoring drought in the 4th… sounds like coaching to me. And then Brunson hits a triple so everyone’s like “statement win” but he might be fine and also not fine?? idk, knee and ankle injuries are never “fine” lol