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Jalen Brunson scores 30 as New York Knicks rally from 14 down to beat San Antonio Spurs 105-95, take 1-0 NBA Finals lead, Victor Wembanyama scores 26 in loss
Jalen Brunson was one of four Knicks to finish in double figures. (AP Photo)
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points as the New York Knicks overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 on Wednesday and secure a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals. The Knicks star overcame an early injury scare to trigger a remarkable turnaround, giving his team a crucial edge in the best-of-seven series ahead of Game 2 on Friday.
Brunson outshone Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama with a dominant fourth-quarter performance, pouring in 13 points in the final period as the Knicks rallied to silence an expectant home crowd in Texas. The game was tied with just over two minutes remaining, but Brunson took control down the stretch, orchestrating New York’s offense and leading a decisive scoring burst that put the contest beyond San Antonio’s 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 credited the team’s “chemistry” for helping them recover from a 14-point deficit 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 briefly left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury before returning.
Brunson was one of four Knicks players to score in double figures. Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points, OG Anunoby contributed 17, and Landry Shamet finished with 13.
Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26 points but endured a difficult shooting night, connecting on just 6 of 21 attempts from the field. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and recorded three blocks.
“I was bad tonight, it’s not more complicated than that,” said Wembanyama, who dismissed the suggestion that nerves played a role in San Antonio’s 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 scored 17 points for the Spurs, while Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie added 16 points apiece.
An entertaining first half saw the Knicks race to a 14-7 lead before San Antonio responded with a 9-0 run to take its first advantage of the game at 16-14.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Champagnie helped the Spurs extend their momentum, opening a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
New York’s biggest concern came in the closing minutes of the period when Brunson exited after appearing to suffer a knee injury following a collision with San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes.
Brunson returned in the second quarter and later appeared to tweak an ankle after converting a layup, but he stayed on the floor and ultimately delivered the game’s defining performance.
Trailing 55-48 at halftime, the Knicks appeared in danger of falling out of contention when the Spurs stretched their lead to 14 points during the third quarter.
However, New York gained a foothold when Wembanyama briefly left the game after taking a knock to the knee. The Knicks capitalized on his absence to trim the deficit to single digits.
The momentum carried over after Wembanyama’s return, and New York completed its comeback to tie the game at 76-76 heading into the fourth quarter.
Two three-pointers from Anunoby helped the Knicks move ahead 86-81, and New York soon extended its advantage to 94-86 after a brilliant Brunson layup.
San Antonio responded through Wembanyama, who drained a three-pointer and added a layup as the Spurs reclaimed a 95-94 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
But Brunson answered with a go-ahead three to put New York in front 97-95, and the Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run, scoring eight unanswered points after Brunson’s basket to secure the victory.
About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
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