Knicks open NBA Finals lead over Spurs after Game 1 win

New York turned a close opener into a 105-95 statement, closing Game 1 with an 11-0 burst that put the Knicks ahead 1-0 in the NBA Finals and shifted the burden squarely onto San Antonio. Jalen Brunson led the way with 30 points, while Victor Wembanyama answered with 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but the late execution belonged to New York.

That finish is what makes Friday’s Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC feel like the hinge of the series. The Knicks do not need to chase the tone of the Finals now. They already carried an 11-game playoff winning streak into San Antonio after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, and they are four wins from ending a 53-year championship drought. The Spurs, by contrast, must show they can solve New York’s late-game control, not just recover from one loss.

Game 1 also clarified the tactical questions that will decide the rest of the series. San Antonio needs a faster tempo and better shot quality if it wants to put pressure on the Knicks over 48 minutes, especially against a New York team that has already proven it can keep opponents from dictating the closing stretch. The Spurs reached the Finals by beating the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, and Wembanyama arrived with West Finals MVP in hand, but his individual production was not enough to keep the opener from slipping away.

The matchup carries extra weight because it is a 1999 rematch, and the numbers underscore how much the league has changed since then. That Finals did not begin until June 16, and the average score was Spurs 85, Knicks 80. The 2026 version is built around efficiency, pace and 3-point volume, and the team that adapts those elements best in Game 2 will decide whether New York starts to seize control or San Antonio forces the series back into the balance.