Jalen Brunson’s late game heroics propel Knicks to 1-0 Finals lead, as New York wins their 12th consecutive game this postseason.
New round. New stage. Same Jalen Brunson.
In an electrifying Game 1 of the NBA Finals, No. 11 led New York to its 12th straight win.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Captain Clutch: Brunson caps New York comeback with late heroics in San Antonio
Depth On Display: Beyond Brunson, KAT, Hart and New York’s full cast help turn Game 1
First-Time Takeaways: The Spurs’ young core doesn’t shy away from Finals stage
Game 1 All-Access: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Finals’ first day
Historic Heater: How does New York’s 12-game win streak stack up all-time?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals tips off Friday in San Antonio as the Knicks look to grab a 2-0 lead, while the Spurs aim to even the series (8:30 ET, ABC).
Today, Live In The App: Watch live press conferences from both teams and get full behind-the-scenes coverage from today’s media sessions, starting at 1 ET.
Forever Finals: Fifty years ago today, the Celtics and Suns produced one of the greatest games in NBA Finals history – a triple-OT, Game 5 classic featuring Garfield Heard’s iconic buzzer-beater, a premature court-storming and unforgettable drama.
1. BRUNSON LIFTS KNICKS IN BACK-AND-FORTH GAME 1 THRILLER
It’s been a Playoff staple for years:
Jalen Brunson, delivering when it matters most.
And in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he did it again.
Knicks 105, Spurs 95: Tied 76-76 after three quarters of haymakers, Brunson flipped a switch in the 4th, scoring 13 of his game-high 30 points to spark an 11-0 closing run, as New York rallied past Victor Wembanyama (26 pts, 12 reb, 3 blk) and San Antonio in an epic Finals opener.
It’s the Knicks’ 12th straight win, matching the 1999 Spurs – who beat New York in the Finals – for the 2nd-longest win streak in a single postseason. | Recap | Shaun Powell’s 5 Takeaways
Spurs Surge: Brunson shot just 5-of-15 in the 1st half, while battling through both a knee and ankle tweak, as San Antonio built a 14-point lead into the 3rd
KAT Spark: But New York responded with a 25-11 run to close the frame behind Karl-Anthony Towns (18 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast), setting up a classic close …
And then Brunson did what Brunson does.
Where There’s Smoke: After five back-and-forth minutes, Brunson broke an 86-86 tie with a smooth driving finger roll | Jeff Zillgitt’s Turning Point
There’s Fire: A pair of free throws and two more layups quickly followed, as New York’s captain poured in eight straight points in 75 seconds
Enter Wemby: San Antonio’s superstar answered right back with a pull-up 3, an and-one and two more at the line, sparking a 9-0 Spurs’ counter
San Antonio led 95-94 with 2:16 left.
But Brunson wasn’t done.
The Go-Ahead: After eight straight New York misses, Brunson buried a go-ahead 3 with 1:50 to play. Two Mikal Bridges free throws later, the ball was back in Brunson’s hands with under a minute left. Knicks up four
New York needed one more bucket.
Brunson Went To Work: Driving left before spinning back right, Brunson rose from the elbow with Devin Vassell draped all over him. He ducked under Vassell and lofted a high-arching, off-balance fallaway
The shot had just a 23.1% expected field-goal rate — the lowest of any Knicks make all night
It hit nothing but net
“Puts it in!” exclaimed ABC’s Mike Breen. “Jalen Brunson does it again!”
Brunson had put the Knicks up 101-95 with 38 ticks left. Four OG Anunoby free throws later, the Knicks had turned a 14-point deficit into a gutsy road win.
One that ended with Brunson, who looked limited early, but limitless late.
“He’s a gamer, man,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown postgame. “In the biggest moments, he shows up. 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.”
Inevitable Eleven: Brunson owns a career regular-season scoring average of 19.2 ppg. In the Playoffs, he averages 25.7 ppg. That’s the largest jump (+6.5) of any player in NBA history with at least 500 regular-season games and 50 Playoff appearances.
And Brunson doesn’t just level up in the Playoffs – he turns pressure-packed moments into his personal stage.
Built For This: The Kia Clutch POY in 2024-25, Brunson now has 144 clutch Playoff points since the 2023 postseason. No other player has more than 85
4th Quarter Fire: In that same span, Brunson has 364 4th-quarter Playoff points. The only other player with more than 250? Back-to-back Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (292)
Attacking The Moment: It’s not just Brunson’s late buckets that stand out, it’s the fearlessness with which he gets them — a trait that helped swing Game 1.
Inside Operator: Despite Wembanyama – the Kia DPOY – anchoring the paint, eight of Brunson’s 12 field goals came within 10 feet of the basket last night
No Fear: That’s tied for the most field goals made inside 10 feet against San Antonio all postseason – from a player who’s 6-foot-2
Big Impact: The result? New York won the paint battle 50-42, with Brunson accounting for a game-high 16
“I’ve run out of adjectives for Jalen Brunson in these situations,” said ABC’s Tim Legler on the call. “The shot-making and its array … what team has the ball in the hands of a better guy than the Knicks in this situation?”
Added Mike Breen: “He has become one of the great Playoff performers of his era.”
2. KNICKS DEPTH DELIVERS TO SPARK RALLY, TURN GAME 1
Determination.
Willpower.
Hot shooting (50.7 FG%, best of this postseason).
These traits have powered the Knicks to match the NBA’s 2nd-longest postseason win streak at 12.
But you don’t pile up 12 consecutive W’s at any time of the year without consistent, reliable depth, and New York’s was on full display in Game 1.
Before they harnessed their depth to power a 57-40 2nd-half surge, the Knicks had to lean on it to survive an early injury to their leader.
Jose’s Hold: With Brunson (knee) in the locker room, New York went to Jose Alvarado in his Finals debut. In 6:34 of game time, Alvarado scored 4 of his 7 points, on 2 of his 3 FGs, and grabbed all 4 of his rebounds, plus a steal
The Knicks won that stretch without the East Finals MVP, 11-4, cutting an early double-digit deficit to just a possession
And while Brunson’s heroics have shown up over and over during this win streak, the Knicks as a team have been playing as one — and in Game 1, they leaned on that cohesiveness & resilience again.
Facing the biggest deficit of the game, Towns sparked a 25-11 3rd-quarter closeout to knot it up at 76. He logged 10 of his 18 points (4-5 FG, 4 reb, 2 ast) in the run, while owning the glass and shadowing Wemby
“He’s a problem,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said of KAT
“I just wanted to be aggressive,” added Towns. “Trying to bring that energy for our team.”
Stingy KAT: Towns logged an 88.2 DefRtg – one of three Knicks with sub-90 defensive ratings in this win – while primarily guarding Wemby
As Towns was doing his damage in the paint, Josh Hart was seemingly everywhere, with hustle that showed up in the box score.
Do-It-All: Hart led New York in rebounds (15), defensive rebounds (13), assists (6), and steals (4) and recorded the game’s best plus-minus (+22)
NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner zoomed in on KAT and Hart’s contributions after Game 1: “Guess who won the rebounding war. It was Hart, grabbing 15 to choke off so many Spurs possessions at one-and-done …”
“The last player to reach 15 boards, six assists and four steals in a Finals game? Larry Bird.” | Aschburner’s analysis
“I had a lot of energy,” Hart said of his Game 1. “I think I only played like seven minutes in the first half. So I knew I had to come out, be aggressive … and inject energy.”
New York’s bench weapons made Hart’s restful 1st half possible, with Mitchell Robinson defending through a broken finger and Landry Shamet (13 pts) making Texas sound like The Garden on his three 3s
Finishing Touches: OG Anunoby poured in 12 of his 17 points in the 4th, combining with Brunson’s 13 to outscore the Spurs, 25-19 in the frame
The Knicks bench ranks 1st this postseason with a +8.0 net rating, its +5.1 per-game plus-minus, and its +77 total plus-minus – 21 points better than OKC’s, who outscored San Antonio’s bench 332-200 in the West Finals
Game 1 brought a complete team win from this connected Knicks squad, amid a historic win streak. Together, they’ll aim for 13 straight in Friday’s Game 2 (8:30 ET, ABC).
3. DESPITE LOSS, YOUNG SPURS SHINE IN FIRST FINALS GAME
Last night represented a first for more than a few Spurs. It was their introduction to the NBA Finals, and how big the stage really feels with the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the line (and on the court).
San Antonio now trails the series, 1-0, but nonetheless, it was an all-important first taste for its roster full of young talent.
Crucial Core: Julian Champagnie (24 years old), Victor Wembanyama (22), Stephon Castle (21) and Dylan Harper (20) were all making their Finals debuts
Finding His Footing: Wembanyama had 9 points in the 1st half, shooting 2-of-8 from the field, but the Spurs still owned a 55-48 lead entering the locker room
Alien Awakening: The Kia NBA DPOY hit his stride in the 4th quarter to finish with a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double alongside 3 blocks
“He definitely holds himself accountable,” said coach Mitch Johnson. “I would suspect that he’ll learn a lot of things from (Wednesday) and come out with a good approach to Game 2.”
When shots didn’t fall for Wemby, his similarly young teammates stepped up, sinking timely buckets to keep pace with the Knicks.
Hot Hand: Champagnie couldn’t miss in the opening half as he was 5-for-6 on 3s for 15 points
The Rook Cooks: Harper, a rookie guard who continues to shine this postseason, was strong throughout, posting 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 8 boards
Two-Way Play: Castle made his presence felt on both ends of the court, tallying 17 points, 8 boards and 3 assists
“For us, it’s more about playing the long game and being consistent with our habits,” Harper said. “That’s the biggest part.”
San Antonio returns to its home hardwood Friday for Game 2 — an opportunity to tie the series before it shifts to New York.
For now, they’ve got the experience of Game 1 under their belts.
“We’ve been down in a series before. Never in the Finals, obviously,” Wembanyama said. “But I’m not kicking myself about anything, really. I’m not worried in the slightest.”
4. ALL-ACCESS: NO BIGGER STAGE THAN THE FINALS
Take in all the sights and sounds of the Finals like you’re on-site in San Antonio, with our Game 1 all-access collection, all in one place.
Stage Is Set: San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center looked ready to party Wednesday morning, ahead of a Finals fiesta for Game 1
Finals Fits: Jalen Brunson’s Knicks and Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs showed up in style on the season’s biggest stage
Reporting Live: One of the top projected picks for this month’s NBA Draft, Caleb Wilson checked in as Game 1’s Player Correspondent
“I’m gonna sit back and watch and hope,” Knicks legend Patrick Ewing told Wilson, opting for a pure fan experience with no prediction for the series
As the action shifted on-court and the arena opened up, anticipation for Game 1 leveled up.
Just after 8:30 ET, the biggest series of the season finally arrived.
Stars & Stripes: Three-time Grammy winner Tori Kelly set the tone with this moving rendition of the National Anthem
Coyote Cue: San Antonio’s mascot set off the Spurs’ player introductions in front of an electric home crowd
Before The Storm: Brunson gathered himself just before tip with his signature silent moment
Tip In Texas: Here’s what it looked and sounded like inside Frost Bank Center as the opening tip set off the 2026 Finals
5. HISTORIC HEATERS: KNICKS JOIN RARE COMPANY WITH 12 STRAIGHT DUBS
The Knicks didn’t just take a 1-0 Finals lead on Wednesday night – they continued one of the most dominant NBA Playoff runs ever.
With 12 straight Playoff wins, New York has climbed into rare historical company. But how does its streak stack up against other all-time Playoff heaters?
NBA.com’s John Schuhmann has your answer:
“(New York’s) 12 straight wins is tied for the 2nd-longest (single-season) streak in the history of the NBA Playoffs. It’s tied with the Spurs’ 12-game streak in 1999, when the last two wins were Games 1 and 2 of the Finals … against the Knicks.
The longest Playoff winning streak in NBA history belongs to the Golden State Warriors, who won their first 15 games of the 2017 Playoffs before coming up one game short of a perfect postseason.”
Read more for a statistical comparison between the two streaks.
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