The New York Knicks arrive in San Antonio on an extraordinary run, having won 12 straight playoff games and taken Game 1 of the NBA Finals 105-95 on Wednesday night. Now they return to Frost Bank Center at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight seeking to push the Spurs to the brink with a 2-0 series lead.
The math is brutal for San Antonio. Only two teams in NBA Finals history have lost both Game 1 and Game 2 at home and still lifted the trophy: the 1993 Phoenix Suns and 1995 Orlando Magic both fell short, with the Suns losing in six to the Bulls and Orlando swept entirely by Houston. The home team is 16-2 in Game 2 of the Finals when trailing 1-0, a statistic the Spurs will be counting on as they attempt to even the series.
Victor Wembanyana and the Spurs showed flashes of their dominant form in Game 1 before the Knicks clamped down defensively in the final stretch. Wembanyana drew 12 free throws in 13 attempts and gave the Spurs chances to seize control, but Karl-Anthony Towns matched him at both ends of the floor, and New York's defense ultimately controlled the tempo.
Jalen Brunson authored the victory with 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. After struggling through three quarters, he found another gear when the Knicks needed separation most. Towns' two-way excellence and the team's suffocating perimeter defense proved just enough to hold off a Spurs team that dispatched defending champion Oklahoma City in the previous round.
The Knicks now stand three wins away from their first title since 1973. Their 12-game playoff winning streak represents one of the most dominant stretches in recent postseason history, a run that began when they erased a 2-1 deficit against Atlanta in the first round.
San Antonio's roster reflects a different path to the Finals. The Spurs' core was built through high lottery picks: Wembanyana first overall in 2023, Dylan Harper second overall in 2025, Stephon Castle fourth overall in 2024, and Devin Vassell 11th in 2020. They added depth through trades, acquiring DeAaron Fox and Harrison Barnes. By contrast, the Knicks assembled their roster through a mix of drafting lower (Jalen Brunson 33rd overall in 2018) and trades that brought in established talent like Towns (1st overall in 2015), Mikal Bridges (10th in 2018), and OG Anunoby (23rd in 2017).
Game 2 will test whether the Spurs can replicate the intensity that nearly pulled them through in Game 1, or whether the Knicks' championship pedigree and playoff experience will carry them to the brink of a title.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Knicks are playing suffocating defense and Brunson knows how to close games, but Wembanyana is too talented to stay contained forever."
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