Knicks take 2-0 lead over Spurs in NBA Finals, with next two games at MSG
Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on Friday in San Antonio, TX. Credit: Getty Images
SAN ANTONIO — The Knicks led by a point in the final seconds, and with it feeling as if all of the 19,014 fans were leaning into the court at Frost Bank Center, they set up for one final defensive stand.
Mitchell Robinson, who was a question mark after breaking his right pinkie and undergoing surgery a week before the start of the series, was tasked with defending Victor Wembanyama, the one player who could tower over this moment.
But as the final seconds ticked off and De’Aaron Fox swung the ball to the 7-4 Wembanyama on the right elbow, Robinson, giving up three inches, never gave up on his assignment, guarding the anointed future face of the league.
As Wembanyama rose for the shot, one that could define his young career, Robinson rose up with him, tight enough to contest it. And when it bounded off the back of the rim and the clock hit zero, Robinson seemed merely relieved while his teammates rushed onto the floor to celebrate — or at least exhale — after a nail-biting 105-104 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
The Knicks’ 13th consecutive postseason victory gave them a two-games-to-none lead in the series with a chance to finish it off at Madison Square Garden . . . and earn their first championship in 53 years.
“I know we needed stops and I had picked up a few fouls on him,” Robinson said. “I think, what, three, like early on. So in my mind, I was just like, defend without fouling. So that was kind of like how it went. Just great contest.”
“Wemby is iconic,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said, seemingly out of breath as he spoke. “If he makes a shot, he makes a shot. You’re not blocking a shot. You make him work, you lead with your chest. You show your hands and you embrace those details while trying to guard him and then box out . . .
“So just a heck of a job by Mitch guarding the most iconic player in the world on two possessions to possibly win the game. Phenomenal.”
“I feel like that last play was a culmination of the game, just downloading information as the game went on and Wemby throughout the game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “On the last possession, I think it’s the best defense he’s played on him all day. There was no better time for him to do that.
“But Mitch is a hell of a defensive player and you expect him to make the best effort defensively. And it just speaks to his resiliency, too, going out here, playing with the injury and coming up with the biggest play of the game.”
OG Anunoby drove past Wembanyama for a dunk that gave the Knicks a 97-83 lead with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs scored the next 14 points to tie it at 97 with 2:59 left.
Anunoby then appeared to lose the ball out of bounds while attempting a three-pointer but immediately grabbed his arm, indicating he’d been hit to force the ball loose. The Knicks sent subs into the game to stall and then called for a challenge. The call was reversed and Anunoby sank all three free throws for a 100-97 lead.
Wembanyama drove for a finger roll and converted the three-point play with 57.3 seconds left to give the Spurs a 104-102 lead, but Jalen Brunson’s tough fadeaway 13-footer with 39.3 seconds left tied it at 104.
When Brunson missed a shot with 13 seconds left, Wembanyama tossed the ball ahead to Stephon Castle. But when Castle turned and the pass hit him in the back, Brunson grabbed the loose ball and was fouled with 9.5 seconds left. He converted the first free throw but misfired on the second, and when Luke Kornet got the rebound with 7.5 seconds left, the Spurs had one last chance — but Wembanyama could not come up with the biggest shot of the night, maybe of his career.
“I’m still very blurry,” he said. “That’s the whole problem. I need to have more poise, more control over the game.”
The Knicks, who fell behind by 12 points in the second quarter, survived foul trouble, uncharacteristic struggles from Brunson and a frantic comeback.
“Obviously, they made their run toward the end. And you know, we could have folded a few times,” Brown said. “But our guys just kept fighting. They kept fighting, and the one thing I told them that, you know — you work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these, and no matter what run they went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another, not just the guys on the floor but the guys on the bench.”
It seemed as if everyone took a turn playing hero. Towns carried the load much of the night, scoring 17 of his 21 points in the first half as he repeatedly got the best of Wembanyama and finishing with 13 rebounds. Mikal Bridges emerged in the third quarter and ended up with 20 points and six assists. Brunson also had 20 points and six assists, although he shot 7-for-25. Wembanyama had 29 points, 10 in the fourth quarter.
The teams, which had been testing each other like boxers throwing body blows much of the night, had to be separated with 9:35 to play as Fox shoved Brunson along the sideline. The two stood nose-to-nose as Bridges rushed in and shoved Fox away before team security separated the teams.
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.
