Knicks vs. – Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals tips off tonight with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center at 8:30 p.m. ET—setting up a best-of-seven series that brings two early games to Texas before New York welcomes the Knicks back to th
The Knicks and Spurs are set to kick off Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals tonight in San Antonio, with tip time scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET at the Frost Bank Center.
For New York fans, the stakes are personal—and overdue. The first two games stay in Texas, before the Knicks get their first NBA Finals courtside experience in 27 years at Madison Square Garden on Monday, June 8.
Both teams arrive with momentum, and two names stand out immediately. Spurs center-forward Victor Wembanyama. a 7-foot-4 force at 22 years old. earned most valuable player of the 2026 Western Conference Finals after leading San Antonio to a seven-game win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over that series, Wembanyama averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.7 blocks in 37.7 minutes across the seven games.
On the Knicks side. 29-year-old guard Jalen Brunson—son of former NBA guard Rick Brunson—helped push a red-hot New York roster to the finals. Brunson, along with Karl-Anthony Towns, powered the Knicks forward after winning 11 straight games by an average of 23.8 points. The conference run culminated with the team earning a championship matchup.
This showdown also carries the weight of history. The Knicks and Spurs last met in the NBA Finals in 1999, when San Antonio defeated New York 4 games to 1. After that, San Antonio went on to win four more championships in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. For the Knicks. the mission is blunt: end a 53-year championship dry spell and win their first title since 1973. a moment that would hand the franchise’s next generation the chance to see an orange-and-blue ticker-tape parade in the Big Apple.
San Antonio, meanwhile, is chasing something that sounds almost like a reset button for its legacy: a possible launch of a second dynasty, according to the NBA.
Game by game, here’s how the series is laid out:
Game 1: Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio
Game 2: Friday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio
Game 3: Monday, June 8, at 8:30 p.m. ET in New York City
Game 4: Wednesday, June 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET in New York City
Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, June 13, at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio
Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 16, at 8:30 p.m. ET in New York City
Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 19, at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio
Up-to-date game day information is available on the NBA’s website.
For viewers trying to catch tonight’s action, the NBA Finals are set to air live on ABC in the United States. ABC is available for traditional cable viewers and is also free with an over-the-air antenna. Cable subscribers can watch ABC live through the ABC website.
Cord-cutters have another route. The 2026 NBA Finals can be streamed on Fubo, which carries ABC, using the app or website.
For those who want radio and multilingual coverage, the Finals are accessible on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, and the ESPN app.
2026 NBA Finals Knicks vs. Spurs Game 1 Victor Wembanyama Jalen Brunson Frost Bank Center ABC Fubo ESPN app ESPN Deportes NBA schedule
8:30 ET in Texas?? So like midnight my time, great.
Wait the Knicks finally in the Finals again? 27 years? I swear they were there like last week lol. Wembanyama better not act too cute because Spurs fans gonna flip.
Jalen Brunson’s dad Rick Brunson is basically the reason, obviously. Like they said ‘momentum’ but I think it’s more injuries. Also 11 straight games?? that’s gotta be fake news or something because NBA is rigged anyway.
Madison Square Garden courtside for 27 years… man I remember when the Spurs were just always winning everything. If it’s best-of-seven and the first two are in Texas, that kinda sounds like the Knicks got punished from the start? But also the last Finals was 1999 and San Antonio already has like a million rings so… I don’t know. I just want it to be close for once.