Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoots the ball over the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama in game one of the NBA Finals. Photo: AFP
SAN ANTONIO:
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points as the New York Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to stun the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 and take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday.
Knicks talisman Brunson shrugged off an early injury scare to inspire a magnificent fightback and give New York a precious early advantage in the best-of-seven series, with game two set for Friday.
Brunson upstaged Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama with a masterful clutch fourth quarter display, scoring 13 points in the final frame as the Knicks closed out a win to silence an expectant home crowd in Texas.
The game was tied with just over two minutes to go, but Brunson marshalled the Knicks brilliantly and a late burst of scoring put the game out of the Spurs’ reach.
“Just sticking together — it wasn’t really our night and wasn’t really my night most of the night but we kept finding a way, kept chipping away,” Brunson said afterwards.
The Knicks playmaker said the team’s “chemistry” had helped them climb out of their 14-point hole in the third quarter.
“Just knowing we have each other’s back — there’s a lot of things we could have done better, but I think our togetherness was really the biggest difference,” added Brunson, who left the court in the first quarter with a knee injury before returning.
Brunson was one of four Knicks to finish in double figures, with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 18 points, OG Anunoby 17 and Landry Shamet 13.
Wembanyama led San Antonio’s scoring with 26 points but had a poor shooting night, making just 6-of-21 from the field while pulling down 12 rebounds with three blocks.
“I was bad tonight, it’s not more complicated than that,” said Wembanyama, who denied nerves had been a factor in the Spurs defeat.
“It definitely felt special for sure, but nothing close that could be an excuse,” Wembanyama said. “It was not a factor in our performance.”
Stephon Castle had 17 points and Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie added 16 points apiece.
Brunson injury scare
An absorbing first half saw the Knicks make a bright start to take a 14-7 lead before San Antonio hit their stride with a 9-0 run to claim their first lead of the game at 16-14.
A pair of three-pointers from Champagnie helped the Spurs suddenly accelerate into a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Knicks were then given a huge scare in the final two minutes of the first when Brunson left the game with a worrying-looking knee injury sustained after a collision with San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes.
Brunson returned to the game in the second quarter, and although there was another injury scare when he appeared to hurt an ankle after a layup, he remained in the game to play the decisive role.
After trailing 55-48 at half-time, the Knicks were in danger of conceding an insurmountable lead as the Spurs built a 14-point advantage in the third quarter.
But they were handed a lifeline when Wembanyama limped off after taking a knock to the knee, seizing that opportunity to cut the lead to single digits.
The Knicks sustained that momentum when Wembanyama re-entered the game, and the score was tied at 76-76 heading to the fourth.
A pair of threes from Anunoby helped New York take an 86-81 lead, and soon the Knicks were eight points clear at 94-86 after a sublime Brunson layup.
Yet San Antonio hit back with a Wembanyama three and a layup, and the Spurs edged into a 95-94 lead with just over two minutes left.
But Brunson’s three-pointer put the Knicks back in front at 97-95 and the Knicks rattled in eight more unanswered points to claim the win.
