New York Knicks steal a back-and-forth Game 1 of the NBA Finals
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — Game 1 of the NBA Finals lived up to all the hype with the New York Knicks outlasting the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday.
The victory extends the Knicks’ playoff win streak to 12 games, becoming the seventh team in NBA history to reach the feat.
But it certainly wasn’t an easy road to the win for the Knicks.
Offense was the name of the game to start with both teams trading buckets.
After New York jumped out to a 12-7 lead, rookie phenom Dylan Harper Jr. came off the bench for the Spurs and helped orchestrate a 20-5 run to end the quarter.
Concern grew on the Knicks sideline as star guard Jalen Brunson hobbled off the court after San Antonio forward Harrison Barnes fell into the three-time All-Star’s right knee as a result of a foul.
The 29-year-old checked out of the game and was seen limping back to the locker room as the first quarter came to an end.
As the offensive tug-of-war continued into the second quarter and New York cut the lead down to three, Brunson finally appeared back on the bench and checked back into the game as Knicks fans breathed a sigh of relief.
But the injury bug came back to rear its ugly head as Brunson yet again appeared to be in discomfort after Spurs center Luke Kornet stepped on his ankle. Despite the apparent pain, Brunson got up, yelled at the refs and continued playing.
What followed was eight straight points for the Knicks captain, but the Spurs took a seven-point advantage into halftime.
All the back-and-forth came to an ice-cold end to start the second half as the Knicks only mustered two points through the first five minutes of the third quarter, as the Spurs’ lead grew to as many as 14.
Victor Wembanyama, who had an unusually quiet night up to that point, headed to the bench limping a bit and that’s when the Knicks took advantage.
New York cut the lead down to three points behind Karl-Anthony Towns with just under two minutes to play in the quarter.
The 22-year-old French superstar checked back in, showing no signs of any discomfort, but all the momentum was with the Knicks as the quarter ended with the score knotted up at 76-76.
Both teams continued trading shot-for-shot in the early moments of the final quarter, but Brunson put the team on his back to grow New York’s lead to six at the halfway point.
Just as the Spurs appeared to show some life, New York just responded right back to steal the momentum away from the Spurs and put the clamps on in crunch time.
New York closed the game on an 11-0 run to stun the rowdy San Antonio crowd, which featured Knicks superfans Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan.
Brunson finished with a game-high 30 points despite the poor shooting night, finishing 12 for 31 from the field.
After the game, Brunson was asked about the injuries, and he quickly responded he would “be all right.”
“We just got to go back and watch the things we can do better,” Brunson told the ABC broadcast.
“It’s a long journey but there’s a lot of things we can do better.”
Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the loss but downplayed any worries about the team’s struggles after the game.
“It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out. It’s almost like I have to play normal, not even good,” Wembanyama told reporters.
“It’s just like doing the right things is enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried.
“We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”
Odd moment plagues fourth quarter
As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security.
Game officials weren’t able to determine who had possession at the time of the interruption, so a jump ball ensued.
CNN has reached out to the league for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Game 2 in the series will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday in San Antonio.
The story has been updated with more information.
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