Knicks Rally Past Spurs in Game 1, Extend Playoff Winning Streak to 12
The New York Knicks kept their winning streak alive and struck first in the NBA Finals, erasing a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 on Wednesday night.
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, only six fewer than San Antonio scored as a team in the period. He sealed the win with a spinning jumper while falling to the court with 38 seconds left. Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby scored 17.
Josh Hart finished with 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals and a blocked shot in 27 minutes. He’s is first player with 15-plus rebounds, six-plus assists and four-plus steals in an NBA Finals game since Hall of Famer Larry Bird in Game 3 of 1986 NBA Finals for Boston against the Houston Rockets.
The Knicks finished on an 11-0 run and have now won 12 straight playoff games, becoming the seventh team in NBA history and the third in a single season to do so. They also became the first team to beat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as the Spurs had been 6-0, and handed San Antonio its first-ever Finals deficit before a series ended.
Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds in his Finals debut but shot 6-for-21 from the field. Stephon Castle scored 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper added 16 apiece.
The Knicks led 14-7 early before San Antonio surged ahead and took a 55-48 halftime lead. The Spurs stretched the margin to 14 midway through the third quarter, but New York closed the period on a 22-9 run to tie the game at 76 entering the fourth.
Wembanyama’s free throws gave San Antonio a 95-94 lead with 2:16 left, but Brunson answered with a corner 3 on the next possession to put New York ahead for good.
Golden State won 15 straight playoff games in 2017, while San Antonio won 12 in 1999 en route to a title. The Knicks have now matched that 12-game mark.
Game 2 is Friday in San Antonio. New York is three wins away from its first championship in 53 years and has seized home-court advantage.
