Jalen Brunson shook off early injury scare to finish with a game-high 30 points for New York. Victor Wembanyama’s 26 led the Spurs, who shot just 36% from the floor.
SAN ANTONIO — A dash of blue and orange has arrived in San Antonio, but the intensity of Silver & Black fandom is still reaching levels not seen since 2014.
Or, perhaps, since one night in the summer of 2023, when the Spurs won the rights to draft their 7-foot-5 future, imported from France with an iron will and combination of talents the NBA hasn’t seen before.
The Spurs’ journey from rebuilding franchise back to the NBA mountaintop continues with a final climb in the 2026 NBA Finals, tipping off Wednesday night against the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks—a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals that saw Tim Duncan, David Robinson and company secured the franchise’s first title.
San Antonio, led by Western Conference Finals MVP Victor Wembanyama, comes in having triumphed over the defending champion Thunder in a series that went the distance. The Knicks, featuring All-NBA Second Team selectin Jalen Brunson, have steamrolled their competition, sweeping the second and third rounds en route to a 12-2 mark entering the NBA Finals.
It’ll be a best-of-seven series, with the Spurs hold home-court advantage as they compete for their sixth championship. The Knicks, on the other hand, are hungry for their first title since 1973.
What will Wembanyama accomplish in his NBA Finals debut? How loud will Frost Bank Center and watch parties across the city be rocking? Will the Spurs or Knicks capture an early series edge?
Follow along for Game 1 updates.
End of 4Q: Spurs 95, Knicks 105
New York erases a double-digit third-quarter deficit to win the game and take a 1-0 series lead.
4Q, 1:50 remaining remaining: Spurs 95, Knicks 97
A pair of Wemby free throws gave San Antonio back the lead in what’s become a tight battle. Jalen Brunson promptly took it back with a 3-pointer.
4Q, 6:34 remaining: Spurs 86, Knicks 92
New York is looking to finish strong, starting the final frame on a 16-10 run and hitting six of their first 10 shots to increase their lead. OG Anunoby is turning it on for the Knicks, hitting eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter
4Q, 11:32 remaining: Spurs 76, Knicks 78
A Landry Shamet layup gave New York its first lead since late in the second quarter as both teams continue fighting to keep momentum.
End of 3Q: Spurs 76, Knicks 76
A 10-5 Knicks run to end the half has pulled them even with San Antonio.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks has a game-high 15 points along with 10 rebounds and Dylan Harper has 16 and 7 for San Antonio as Game 1 enters the final frame of what’s shaping up to be a dramatic NBA Finals opener.
3Q, 4:58 remaining: Spurs 67, Knicks 61
A 7-0 sprint in just 42 seconds has given New York some momentum midway through the third frame, capped by a Jalen Brunson jump shot that should make Knicks fans feel a little easier about his injury scare in the first half.
New York is shooting 40% from the field in what’s been a fairly even matchup despite San Antonio leading for most of the way so far. Wembanyama, despite being just 2-of-10 from the floor, is a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.
3Q, 9:31 remaining: Spurs 59, Knicks 48
A Stephon Castle floater gave San Antonio its biggest lead of the game as the Spurs look to continue asserting their dominance after halftime.
Halftime: Spurs 55, Knicks 48
Julian Champagnie is picking up right where he left off in the Western Conference Finals, hitting 5 of 6 3-pointers in the first half, including a half-ending bucket from downtown, for a game-high 15 points.
Dylan Harper has 12 points and six boards for the Silver & Black, while Wemby somewhat struggled with nine points off just 2-of-8 shooting. But he does have three blocks as he asserts himself on the defensive end.
Jalen Brunson (11 points) is the only player in double-digits for the Knicks, who are shooting 41% from the field to SA’s 40%. But the Knicks have three more turnovers than San Antonio and made it to the free-throw line for just three attempts in the first half.
Celeb Row in east San Antonio
Oscar-winning director Spike Lee, actor Timothee Chalamet and actor Tracy Morgan are among the Knicks superfans and “Celeb Row” mainstays at Madison Square Garden who have traveled to Texas to catch the start of the NBA Finals.
2Q, 5:52 remaining: Spurs 37, Knicks 32
Buckets are a luxury thus far in Game 1, with both teams shooting under 40% so far, and under 30% from downtown.
The two leaders, Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson, are a combined 4-fo16 from the field for 12 total points. Harper (10 points, six rebounds) has been lifting the Spurs thus far.
2Q, 8:03 remaining: Spurs 31, Knicks 28
In Jalen Brunson’s absence, New York cut into the Spurs’ lead.
Jose Alvarado has four quick points in the quarter for the Knicks as they look to bring themselves even with the Silver & Black. Brunson, meanwhile, returned to the game after an injury scare int he first quarter.
End of 1Q: Spurs 29, Knicks 19
San Antonio ended the opening quarter in dominating fashion, with a 20-5 run to snatch an eight-point lead in Game of the Finals.
Dylan Harper had an impressive 10 points on 3-3 shooting to lead all players.
But New York All-Star Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ leading scorer in the playoffs, left the game with an apparent injury after Harrison Barnes hit his knee upon being fouled.
1Q, 2:33 remaining: Spurs 22, Knicks 17
A pair of Dylan Harper free throws gave San Antoni its first lead of the game; the 20-year-old rookie promptly followed it up with a 3-pointer. Twenty-four seconds later, Julian Champagnie also hit from downtown to put the lead to five.
1Q, 7:28 remaining: Spurs 7, Knicks 12
San Antonio may need some time to get settled in, as this is the first Finals game for four of their five starters. The Spurs started out 3-of-11 from the field while New York is shooting at a 50% clip in the early going.
But Victor Wembanyama already has a strong block as the Defensive Player of the Year asserts himself, as well as five of the team’s first seven points.
Pregame
Understanding the challenge
Speaking with reporters before tipoff, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson made clear that, even after a seven-game series that exhausted San Antonio, he hasn’t needed to do anything special to get them focused and ready for the NBA Finals.
“I haven’t used any extra motivation,” Johnson said. “I don’t think they need any.”
Johnson was a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year after leading the team to 62 regular-season wins and the No. 2 seed int he West. This is his first full year as Spurs head coach, having been handed the reins when Gregg Popovich retired in the spring of 2025, following a mild stroke suffered early in the 2024-2025 season.
Sochan’s return
It remains to be seen whether the Knicks might be able to use any “insider knowledge” Jeremy Sochan might bring, but the former Spurs first-round pick was seen greeting members of the San Antonio staff before the game.
He was waived by the Spurs during the regular season and picked up by the Knicks as a free agent, largely serving in a bench role since then.
A bold prediction
The eyes of the NBA world are once again on San Antonio, where celebrities, national media and – yes – Knicks fans have descended this week.
ESPN personality (and native New Yorker) Stephen A. Smith predicted a six-game win for his hometown Knicks, but acknowledged even that bet doesn’t make much basketball sense.
“Everybody needs to get used to San Antonio being in the Finals. I think they’re gonna win about four championships in the next seven years,” Smith said. “Just not this one.”