At long last, the New York Knicks are NBA champions.
In a Game 5 of the NBA Finals Saturday night that looked much like the previous four, the San Antonio Spurs took a double-digit lead in the first quarter.
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But like in three of the previous four games, the Knicks rallied — this time from a 16-point deficit — to secure a 94-90 Game 5 win and a 4-1 series victory in the NBA Finals.
Jalen Brunson led the way with a legacy-securing 45-point effort as New York’s only reliable source of offense on a night in which both teams struggled from the field. But for New York, the win didn’t have to be pretty. The result is the franchise’s first NBA championship since 1973. And Brunson has secured his place among New York’s sporting greats.
Brunson helped the Knicks chip away at an early 31-15 deficit by making his first three 3-point attempts of the game. In the third quarter, he hit three free throws after drawing a foul on a 3 to give the Knicks an 86-85 lead, their first of the second half. From there, the Knicks held on to win a tightly contested battle down the stretch.
Per Opta Stats, Brunson is the second player in NBA history to score 45 points on the road in a championship-clinching victory. The other was Michael Jordan in 1998 against the Utah Jazz to secure a sixth NBA title for the Chicago Bulls.
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When the final horn sounded following a desperation missed 3 by San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, a swarm of Knicks fans who’d traveled to San Antonio to watch the closeout game celebrated in the San Antonio stands. And fans at watch parties back home across New York City partied in the streets.
Knicks players, meanwhile, were overjoyed on the court, finally able to exhale after securing three gritty NBA Finals wins prior Saturday’s Game 5 clincher. Karl-Anthony Towns, whose legacy-altering effort as a focal point of New York’s offense in the playoffs, cried tears of joy as he shared a post-champinoship embrace.
Brunson shared the moment with his father and Knicks assistant, Rick Brunson on a night when he scored 45 of New York’s 94 points in a championship-securing win.
Brunson scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter and hit multiple buckets down the stretch to lead the Knicks back from a 75-65 deficit early in the stanza. No other Knick scored more than 14 points, and only four tallied double figures.
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Brunson was at a loss for words when met by ESPN’s Lisa Salters on the court for a postgame interview.
“I’ve got no words,” Brunson said after a long pause, with tears in his eyes. “It’s everything I ever dreamed of.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just, like, I’m in awe. I don’t know. Whenever someone counted us out, we find a way to come back and do something about.”
Moments later, Brunson was awarded the NBA Finals MVP trophy.
The championship for New York culminates one of the most remarkable postseason runs in NBA history. The Knicks entered the Finals on an 11-game postseason win streak fresh off sweeps of the 76ers and Cavaliers in the Eastern conference semifinals and finals. They extended that streak to 13 games with two wins on the road against the Spurs, both after trailing by double figures in the first quarter.
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After losing Game 3 at home in the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999, the Knicks pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA history, overcoming a 29-point deficit secure a Game 4 win and send New York into a frenzy.
Then on Saturday, after a miserable first quarter that produced 13 points, New York maintained its poise, chipped away at its deficit and outlasted the Spurs for the fourth time in five NBA Finals game.
In the process, they vanquished a Spurs team led by the present and future face of the NBA, Wembanyama. Wembanyam’s Spurs arrived earlier than anticipated to contention by producing the NBA’s second-best record in the regular season.
They then defeated the only team that produced more win with a dramatic seven-game victory over the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Wesrten Confernce finals. When they arrived to the Finals, a roster featuring 22-year-old Wembanyama, 20-year-old rookie Dylan Harper and 21-year-old NBA sophomore did so as the favorites against a Knicks roster filled with NBA veterans.
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And the Spurs looked like the better team for a large swath of each of the five Finals games. But in the end of four of them, they didn’t match the poise of their more experienced and hungrier counterparts down the stretch.
This story will be updated.
Live coverage is over57 updatesSat, June 13, 2026 at 7:49 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:38 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Some stats.
Jalen Brunson: 45 points (15 in the fourth quarter) on 14-of-27 shooting, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers. He was the Knicks’ offense tonight.
Victor Wembanyama: 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks. A rough game by his standards but not nearly as rough as…
Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox: 13 points combined on 4-of-25 shooting with 4 turnovers.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:35 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:34 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:33 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Jalen Brunson had 45 points, nearly half of his team’s offense in an elimination game. He can start making room on his trophy case for Finals MVP.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:30 PM PDT
Jack Baer
The Knicks have won their first title since 1973. They did it with one of the greatest runs in the history of basketball, winning 15 of 16 playoff games. Their last one is yet another comeback win, 94-90, over the Spurs.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:29 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Harper misses both! OG Anunoby gets the rebound and gets fouled with the Knicks still up 3. The Spurs are out of timeouts.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:27 PM PDT
Jack Baer
The Knicks foul. Two free throws for Dylan Harper with 8.6 seconds left.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:26 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Wow, Jalen Brunson nearly committed a backcourt violation (and maybe a travel?) while getting hammered by Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper, but he gets the ball to Mikal Bridges, who gets immediately fouled.
Bridges misses the first and makes the second to put New York up three. The Spurs have a chance to tie it with 8.8 seconds left.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:22 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Victor Wembanyama misses a 3-pointer, but Stephon Castle records his first field goal of the night with a tip-in dunk. Knicks up two with 16 seconds left.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:20 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Anunoby splits the free throws and the Spurs get the rebound this time. They are down four with 20 seconds left.
That was the biggest rebound of Mitchell Robinson’s life.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:20 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Josh Hart splits three free throws to put the Knicks up 3, but Mitchell Robinson rebounds the miss! OG Anunoby has two free throws with 20 seconds remaining and the Spurs need a miracle at this point.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:17 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Dylan Harper ties the game with 1:16 remaining, but Jalen Brunson immediately responds with a floater to keep New York ahead.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:16 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 points on 1-of-7 shooting with 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, 5 turnovers and 6 fouls. He’s been good this series, but if the Knicks are celebrating tonight, it won’t be because of him.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:15 PM PDT
Jack Baer
It’s remarkable. The Spurs offense has once again disintegrated in the fourth quarter. They’ve missed 9 of their last 10 shots and the Knicks lead by three.
However, Karl-Anthony Towns just fouled out, and the hack-a-Mitch strategy is available with them in the bonus.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:12 PM PDT
Jack Baer
After the Knicks take the lead, De’Aaron Fox misses a 17-foot jumper to quickly burn one of San Antonio’s remaining possessions. It might be a while before his reputation recovers from this series.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:10 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Jalen Brunson is up to 43 points, a Knicks Finals record. New York Leads 86-85 with 4:30 to play.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:09 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:09 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Wembanyama subs back in a minute later, with the game tied after Jalen Brunson’s 40th points of the game.
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:07 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Mitch Williams subs out Victor Wembanyama up 2 with 5:16 left, while Jalen Brunson reaches 38 points to make it a 2-point game. Will the Spurs still lead when Wembanyama returns?
Sat, June 13, 2026 at 8:05 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Victor Wembanyama gets called for his fourth foul, but the Spurs challenge and win (Karl-Anthony Towns clearly shoved him into Josh Hart). A big swing with San Antonio clinging to a 4-point lead.