NBA Finals: Knicks rally from 14-point deficit to beat Spurs in Game 1
SAN ANTONIO — Jalen Brunson walked slowly to the locker room late in the first quarter, a visible limp with his right knee, the worst-case scenario for the Knicks and the dreams of an NBA title that they carried into the game, a weight on his shoulders.
But it’s a script that has played out many times over his career. While fans may have held their breath, there was little doubt that Brunson would find a way back onto the floor. Even more certain, that in the fourth quarter, when palms grew sweaty and throats grow tight, Brunson would deliver.
Scoring 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Brunson helped the Knicks to a 105-95 victory at the Frost Bank Center, taking the first game of the NBA Finals and earning home-court advantage with their 12th straight postseason victory.
Brunson had fought through the injury and a tough night against a tenacious San Antonio defense. But when it mattered most, he was once again Captain Clutch, the security blanket for the Knicks. And once again, there were chants of, “Let’s go Knicks,” as Spurs fans headed for the exits in the final minute.
“Jalen, he was the MVP in the second half,” Mike Brown said. “He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home. We put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch.
“He’s a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that’s happened time after time after time. He got to his spots and he made plays.”
“I think it starts with my confidence,” Brunson said. “It comes with my work ethic. I think most importantly, knowing we’re on the road, and knowing my teammates have my back, I think that’s the biggest thing in an environment like this.
“The trust they have in me and the trust I have in them, it’s got us to this point. I mean, I’m very thankful for them every single night we go out there together.”
It was hardly a one-man show though as the Knicks overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit — echoing the 22-point deficit they’d climbed back from in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Karl-Anthony Towns was a force on both ends of the floor, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, and perhaps more important, did a solid job of defending Victor Wembanyama, who could never get on track, finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Spurs star shot just 6-for-21 from the floor, but was 12-for-13 from the line. Josh Hart shot just 1-for-5, but contributed 15 rebounds, six assists and four steals. OG Anunoby had 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
After a 5-for-18 start, the Knicks still put the ball in Brunson’s hands, hobbled or not, down the stretch. And even when they didn’t, he managed to come up with the biggest play. Trailing 95-94 after a 9-0 San Antonio run, Anunoby misfired from three and Brunson rose up in traffic and knocked the offensive rebound back to Mikal Bridges, who delivered it back to Brunson as he relocated to the corner, calmly draining a three-pointer to put the Knicks ahead for good.
“We’re extremely comfortable,” Hart said. “We want him to have the ball. He’s one of those very few rare guys, if you’re in a one or two-possession game and he has the ball you’re extremely comfortable, extremely calm. I don’t want to give him too much credit, act like I’m looking at him in awe or something. But we’re extremely comfortable with that.
“He had big shots. He had big plays. The biggest play was probably the offensive rebound, tap back to Mikal. Mikal got it and threw it back to him. It was 95-94, he hit a three and we go up two. That was probably the biggest play of the game for him.”
Brunson had started slowly, missing five of his first six shots with a pair of turnovers. But it got worse for the Knicks moments later. With 2:03 left in the first quarter Julian Champagnie drained a three, but on the play, Landry Shamet fouled Harrison Barnes, sending him to the floor where he fell into the side of Brunson’s right knee. Brunson immediately was grabbing at the knee and tried to play through it, but with 1:27 left he asked out and headed to the locker room.
As the Knicks took the floor for the second quarter Brunson returned to the bench, sitting on the sidelines as Jose Alvarado pulled the Knicks back within three. And with 8:03 left in the half, Brunson was back. Two minutes later he dropped in a teardrop in the lane and then after misfiring on a drive, he grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the follow.
Another layup, this time a righthanded bank shot, pulled the knicks within 37-36. One more time he took it right at Carter Bryant and the Knicks were in front.
“You know, when we all saw him limp off, we were worried not only because he’s Jalen Brunson but more because he’s our brother and we are a family in our locker room,” Towns said. “Just worried about his health. But when we were on the court and I saw him walking back out to the bench, it was a relief feeling just to know he’s safe. That was really at the end of the day all we care about it is his safety.”
JALEN BRUNSON PUTS NEW YORK UP 2.
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026
HE'S GOT 28. UNDER 2 MINS TO GO ON ABC. pic.twitter.com/rUkd0ePbLO
Even with that flurry, Brunson was just 5-for-15 in the half, 1-for-5 from three, with three turnovers.
It wasn’t just Brunson who was playing through pain. With 4:13 left in the first quarter, Mitchell Robinson entered and played eight minutes in the half, grabbing five rebounds and converting a lob from Brunson for a dunk and drawing a foul, although he missed the free throw. “These guys are resilient, man,” Brown said. “They get better as the game goes along. They really try to pay attention to the details that we are throwing at them.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
