Brunson, Knicks take Game 1

Jalen Brunson split Spurs defenders Stephon Castle (left) and 

Julian Champaigne on his way to 30 points in the Knicks' Game 1 victory.

4 Jun 2026 - The Boston Globe

Associated Press

The Knicks’ winning streak lives on, and they struck first in the NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the Spurs, 105-95, in Game 1 of the finals on Wednesday night in San Antonio.

OG Anunoby had 17 points for the Knicks — who have won 12 consecutive playoff games, the seventh team to have such a streak in NBA history.

And the Knicks, who finished on an 11-0 run, made a little more history. They became the first team to beat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the title series — the Spurs were 6-0 in those — and this is also the first time the Spurs have ever trailed a finals before the finish.

Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but he shot 6 for 21 from the field in his Finals debut. Stephon Castle scored 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each had 16 for the Spurs.

Game 2 is Friday in San Antonio. Former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was at the game, as he’s been for every finals game in team history, albeit watching from a suite and not stomping the San Antonio sideline. Spurs legends — David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, and others — were there, too.

So were Knicks great Patrick Ewing and the world’s most recognizable New York fans: Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, Timothée Chalamet, and others.

The Knicks led 14-7 early, the Spurs answered with a 20-13 run to go up by 10, the Knicks rallied and the second quarter saw six lead changes before San Antonio took a 55-48 lead into the break.

The Spurs pushed the lead to 14 midway through the third quarter before the Knicks stormed back, finishing the period on a 22-9 run and sending the game into the fourth tied at 76.

New York’s lead was eight midway through the final period. Wembanyama made a pair of free throws with 2:16 left to put the Spurs up, 95-94, but Brunson made a corner three on the next possession to put the Knicks on top for good.

***

European league eyed

The NBA’S hopes of starting a new independent league in Europe by the end of 2027 are on schedule, commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 1 of the Finals. That plan — a joint effort involving the NBA and FIBA, the sport’s global governing body — has been in the works for years, but is nearing a launch at a particularly exciting time for the game in Europe with the burgeoning superstardom of the Spurs’ Wembanyama.