The NBA Finals are here, and based on Game 1, this series between the Spurs and Knicks is going to be very competitive and very physical.
For a few moments early on, it looked like New York would be on the wrong side of that physicality, as Jalen Brunson left for the locker room with a knee injury. Instead, Brunson returned and put forth a gritty 30-point effort, leading the Knicks to a 105–95 victory in San Antonio.
New York is never rattled, and after pulling off a 22-point comeback in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavaliers, they bounced back from a 14-point second-half deficit vs. the Spurs on Wednesday to claim the 10-point victory.
Game 1 was an exciting back-and-forth affair, setting the stage for what should be an excellent NBA Finals. Here are our top takeaways from Wednesday’s thrilling opener.
Jalen Brunson closed like a superstar
The Knicks’ All-NBA guard struggled through much of the first three quarters before bringing it home like a champion.
Through three quarters, Brunson had 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and four turnovers. He had gone 7-for-22 from the field and was 1-for-8 from three-point range. In addition, he had left the game due to an apparent knee injury and also banged up his ankle. It wasn’t his night. Then the lights got a little more intense, and he locked in.
Brunson re-entered the game with 7:36 remaining and took over. He made tough shot after tough shot, hitting jumpers over defenders, snaking around them, or finding small creases to get shots off. The Spurs led 95-94 with 2:16 to go, then Brunson answered with a corner three-pointer. After two Mikal Bridges free throws, Brunson then hit a pull-up jumper to extend the lead to 101-95 with 37.8 seconds left. That all but sealed it.
In the final quarter, Brunson had 13 points while going 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. He finished with a game-high 30 points while adding three rebounds and two assists. He was everything the Knicks needed exactly when they needed it the most.
Dylan Harper seems to have surpassed De’Aaron Fox
Late in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs were attempting to claw their way back into the game, Dylan Harper was nowhere to be found. But sure enough, De’Aaron Fox was on the floor. Given how the game ended and the difference in their play over the past few weeks, it’s clear Harper should be on the floor in crunch time moving forward.
Fox is the team’s starting point guard, but he has been dealing with an ankle injury for weeks. While he has taken a step back, San Antonio’s talented rookie has stepped up. In Game 1, Harper was clearly the superior player, impacting the game at multiple levels while Fox failed to do so.
In 28 minutes, Harper had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and added eight rebounds, one assist and a steal. Fox, meanwhile, was an absolute no-show. He finished with seven points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal while turning it over three times. He was 3 for 13 from the field and 0 for 4 from three-point range. In the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, Fox went 0 for 2, committed three fouls and had two turnovers in 11 minutes. Harper played only four minutes.
It’s O.K. for the Spurs to admit Harper should be playing more than their veteran point guard. There is no obligation for Fox to remain in the game when his 20-year-old backup is outplaying him. Harper has earned that chance with how he has played this postseason. He already has arrived; now we’re just waiting for Spurs coach Mitch Johnson to realize it.
Josh Hart was the ultimate hustle player
Hart is the clear fifth offensive option on a team full of players who can light up a scoreboard. On nights when he’s hot from outside, the Knicks are extremely difficult to beat. What makes Hart special, though, is a performance like he had tonight.
The former Villanova standout scored just three points on 1-of-5 shooting, missing all three of his shots from long range. But he grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, slashing between the Spurs’ rangy wings and the behemoth on the inside, Victor Wembanyama, who is around a foot taller than him. Six of those boards came in the fourth quarter, ending some crucial San Antonio possessions. He also dished out a game-high six assists and led all players with four steals, matching the Spurs’ entire roster.
The efforts of guys like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby are critical, for sure, but these Knicks wouldn’t be the team they are without Hart doing all of the little things well.
This series will be electric
If Game 1 was any indication, this is going to be an incredible edition of the NBA Finals. The two teams are both deep and balanced and that showed on Wednesday night. Virtually everyone contributed to the outcome on both sides; even fifth options Hart and Julian Champagnie played key roles in a game that saw the pendulum swing wildly in both directions before settling on the side that read “NYK.”
This series has everything a fan could want from an NBA Finals. There are two elite playmaking stars in Brunson and Wembanyama, and both are surrounded by perfectly placed role players who can pop on any given night. You never know where the contributions are going to come from, but you know they’re coming.
These are two of the NBA’s most storied franchises, and they have teams worthy of that history. The Spurs are the young, uber-talented upstarts led by a generational superstar, while the Knicks are a workmanlike team that shows flash when Jalen Brunson gets hot, as he did in Game 1. It’s a clash in styles that somehow also fits perfectly together.
We’re in for a good one. Buckle up.
Miss Game 1? Catch up with our in-game updates below:
NBA Finals Game 1 recap: Knicks 105, Spurs 95
How did the Spurs and Knicks get here?
The Spurs have been on the upswing since landing Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA draft, but few could have anticipated what a leap he and San Antonio would take in 2025–26. The Spurs were one of the NBA’s best teams all year, going 62–20 in the regular season, the league’s second-best mark. What’s more, they were a thorn in Oklahoma City’s side throughout the campaign.
San Antonio drew the Trail Blazers in the first round, dropping only Game 2 after Wemby’s exit with a concussion. The experienced Timberwolves provided a tougher test in the Western Conference semifinals, taking the Spurs to six games. Once again, Wembanyama’s availability was a key factor, as San Antonio lost Game 4 after he was ejected for elbowing Naz Reid. He avoided suspension, and the Spurs dominated the final two games of the series.
That set up a showdown with the No. 1 seed Thunder, with whom San Antonio developed a quick rivalry this season. It was no surprise that things went the distance, with the Spurs bouncing back from a tough Game 5 loss to take the last two games of the series, overcoming a tremendous game by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks have been one of the East’s best teams for a few years, but did not have the look of the Finals favorite for much of the season. At 53–29, they finished third in the Eastern Conference, and, while a win in the NBA Cup previewed the team’s potential, New York didn’t always reach it.
That changed midway through the first round. Down 2–1 to the Hawks, the Knicks ripped off three straight wins to take the series, and haven’t turned back since. They swept the 76ers, who were fresh off an upset of the Celtics, 4–0, and did the same to the Cavaliers. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals saw Jalen Brunson lead the way in a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback, in which New York outscored Cleveland 44–11 down the stretch in the fourth and overtime.
Now, the hottest team in the NBA faces off against the Spurs’ young guns and Wemby, who may now be the league’s best player.
More NBA Finals From Sports Illustrated
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