The New York Knicks won the opening game of the NBA Finals, led by the performance of their ace Jalen Brunson.
New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the championship series held at the Frost Bank Center in Texas on June 4 (Korea time). New York is competing for its first NBA title in 53 years, since 1973.
The spearhead of New York's victory was Brunson, who poured in 30 points. He briefly left the court with a knee injury in the first quarter but returned in the second and played a total of 37 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns also recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds while matching up against San Antonio's ace Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama also fought hard with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but his field goal percentage held him back. He attempted 21 field goals but made only six.
The first half belonged to San Antonio. Julian Champagnie (16 points) drained five three-pointers, and bench member Dylan Harper (16 points) added 12 points, helping San Antonio close the second quarter 55-48. New York launched a comeback in the third quarter. Led by Towns, they chased and tied the game at 76-76 late in the third quarter, bringing the contest back to square one.
In the fourth quarter, Brunson stepped up as the closer. Starting with a two-point shot that put New York ahead 88-86 with 7 minutes 22 seconds left, he scored six straight points on free throws and a layup. With 1 minute 50 seconds remaining, he turned the game around with a three-pointer to make it 97-95, and with 37.8 seconds left, he hit another two-pointer to widen the gap to 101-95. A pressured San Antonio looked to fight back with three-pointers but repeatedly missed the rim, allowing New York to secure a valuable first win.
Game 2 will be held at the same venue on June 6.
