Jalen Brunson scored 45 points as the New York Knicks outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5, clinching an NBA championship after more than 53 years. Brunson was named Finals MVP after carrying New York through a series that repeatedly found the team
For the New York Knicks, it didn’t feel like a sudden payoff. It felt like the end of a long climb—again tied to the same heartbeat. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Knicks held off the San Antonio Spurs 94-90, sealing the franchise’s first championship in more than 53 years.
There was no relaxing start. New York found itself down double digits early, yet once more it didn’t stay there. The pattern kept repeating, and in the middle of it was Jalen Brunson—exactly the kind of player who makes late comebacks look inevitable.
Brunson pulled the Knicks back into the game in the first half and took them into halftime with 16 points. The second half demanded even more, and he answered it by finishing with 45 points. When the final horn sounded. the Finals MVP award followed—Brunson walked away with the honor after all he did throughout the series.
His ceiling stayed high throughout the run. Brunson put up 30-plus point performances in the last three games, and this wasn’t just a quick surge. He led the Knicks however he could from start to finish, not only in this Finals series but across the wider journey the team has been on.
The series itself was physical, and the Spurs made it difficult for him every time he attacked. Brunson still found ways to score—bucket after bucket—finding openings even when contact and pressure were constant throughout the matchup.
New York’s road to this moment has stretched beyond this one series. The Knicks had been close to making the NBA Finals last season, only to lose to the Indiana Pacers. This year, they came in with a mission and they delivered it at the highest level.
And in this NBA Finals, they didn’t just win games—they came back in every game New York won. The closing piece belonged to Brunson, as the Knicks repeatedly trusted his toughness when the margin tightened and the moments demanded someone to take over.
NBA Finals New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs Jalen Brunson Finals MVP Game 5 94-90