{"id":714078,"date":"2026-06-04T05:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T05:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/714078\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T05:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T05:08:14","slug":"knicks-105-spurs-95-four-key-takeaways-after-jalen-brunson-leads-knicks-to-game-1-nba-finals-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/714078\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks 105, Spurs 95: Four Key Takeaways After Jalen Brunson Leads Knicks to Game 1 NBA Finals Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NBA Finals<\/a> are here, and based on Game 1, this series between the Spurs and Knicks is going to be very competitive and very physical.<\/p>\n

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\u201395<\/a> victory in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s thrilling opener.<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson closed like a superstar\"New<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson fought through injury to lead the Knicks to a Game 1 NBA Finals win over the Spurs. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 All-NBA guard struggled through much of the first three quarters before bringing it home like a champion.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t his night. Then the lights got a little more intense, and he locked in.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dylan Harper seems to have surpassed De\u2019Aaron Fox\"San<\/p>\n

Spurs guard Dylan Harper led all bench players with 16 points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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\u2019Aaron Fox was on the floor. Given how the game ended and the difference in their play over the past few weeks, it\u2019s clear Harper should be on the floor in crunch time moving forward.<\/p>\n

Fox is the team\u2019s starting point guard, but he has been dealing with an ankle injury for weeks. While he has taken a step back, San Antonio\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019re just waiting for Spurs coach Mitch Johnson to realize it.<\/p>\n

Josh Hart was the ultimate hustle player\"York<\/p>\n

Josh Hart only scored three points but he led all players in rebounds, assists and steals. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Hart is the clear fifth offensive option on a team full of players who can light up a scoreboard. On nights when he\u2019s hot from outside, the Knicks are extremely difficult to beat. What makes Hart special, though, is a performance like he had tonight.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 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\u2019 entire roster.<\/p>\n

The efforts of guys like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby are critical, for sure, but these Knicks wouldn\u2019t be the team they are without Hart doing all of the little things well.<\/p>\n

This series will be electric\"Actor<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 celebrity fans were fired up after New York took a 1\u20130 lead with a win in San Antonio. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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 \u201cNYK.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u2019re coming.<\/p>\n

These are two of the NBA\u2019s 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\u2019s a clash in styles that somehow also fits perfectly together.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019re in for a good one. Buckle up.<\/p>\n

Miss Game 1? Catch up with our in-game updates below:<\/p>\n

NBA Finals Game 1 recap: Knicks 105, Spurs 95How did the Spurs and Knicks get here?\"New<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks against the Spurs, as New York seeks to extend an impressive 11-game playoff winning streak. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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\u201326. The Spurs were one of the NBA\u2019s best teams all year, going 62\u201320 in the regular season, the league\u2019s second-best mark. What\u2019s more, they were a thorn in Oklahoma City\u2019s side throughout the campaign.<\/p>\n

San Antonio drew the Trail Blazers in the first round, dropping only Game 2 after Wemby\u2019s 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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Knicks have been one of the East\u2019s best teams for a few years, but did not have the look of the Finals favorite for much of the season. At 53\u201329, they finished third in the Eastern Conference, and, while a win in the NBA Cup previewed the team\u2019s potential, New York didn\u2019t always reach it. <\/p>\n

That changed midway through the first round. Down 2\u20131 to the Hawks, the Knicks ripped off three straight wins to take the series, and haven\u2019t turned back since. They swept the 76ers, who were fresh off an upset of the Celtics, 4\u20130, 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\u201311 down the stretch in the fourth and overtime.<\/p>\n

Now, the hottest team in the NBA faces off against the Spurs\u2019 young guns and Wemby, who may now be the league\u2019s best player.<\/p>\n

More NBA Finals From Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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