What happened in 2026 NBA Finals Game 1: New York Knicks rally from 14 down to beat San Antonio Spurs 105-95

The 2026 NBA Finals started with a throwback defensive grind. The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 on Wednesday night. New York erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit to steal the road win and push its winning streak to 12 games. The Knicks now sit three wins away from their first title in 53 years.

The game was a low-scoring affair. The teams shot a combined 39% from the field and 28% from three. New York’s offensive rating of 105.0 would have ranked near the bottom this season. San Antonio’s 96.0 would have finished last by a large margin.

The third quarter surge led by Karl-Anthony Towns

San Antonio led 65-51 midway through the third quarter and appeared in full control. The tide turned fast once backup center Luke Kornet replaced Victor Wembanyama.

Karl-Anthony Towns took over. He found Mikal Bridges for a jumper on a curl and then fed Landry Shamet for a layup on a cut to the rim. Towns finished the burst with an and-one layup after driving past Kornet.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson quickly put Wembanyama back in, but Towns kept attacking. He grabbed an offensive rebound over Wembanyama for a putback layup. In the next sequence, with Wembanyama switched onto Josh Hart, Hart missed a tough three. Towns then outmuscled Keldon Johnson for another offensive board and scored yet another and-one. The 14-point lead shrank to just two points in under four minutes.

Towns wins the battle with Victor Wembanyama. Towns finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. His defensive work against Wembanyama stood out even more. The Knicks used their centers to guard the Spurs' star instead of switching wings onto him. Wembanyama shot just 2-for-13 when Towns was his primary defender and had five turnovers in those matchups. For the full game, Wembanyama posted six turnovers and 15 missed shots, both postseason highs.

Key stats from Game 1

Josh Hart shot just 29% from three this postseason, but his all-around play was huge. He grabbed 15 rebounds, dished six assists, and recorded four steals while finishing plus-22. Hart became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead a game outright in those three categories. Larry Bird is the only other player with at least 15 rebounds, six assists, and four steals in a Finals game.

De’Aaron Fox had a quiet night with seven points and three turnovers. He missed an open late jumper that could have tied the score right after Jalen Brunson hit a go-ahead three. Rookie Dylan Harper gave San Antonio a spark off the bench with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and was the only Spur to shoot 50% or better.

Knicks coach Mike Brown was blunt at halftime. “Our transition defense was terrible in the first half,” he told sideline reporter Lisa Salters. The Spurs had 16 transition plays and scored 21 points on them before the break. New York fixed the issue after halftime by committing just one turnover and allowing only one transition point in the second half.

Looking ahead to Game 2

The San Antonio Spurs created decent looks but finished poorly. Better shooting could help them even the series on Friday. Brunson scored 30 points on 31 attempts against heavy pressure. San Antonio’s forward depth looked thin with limited production from that group.

New York Knicks won the paint battle with 50 points. The Spurs are now 3-6 in the playoffs when allowing 40 or more points in the paint.

Game 2 is set for Friday at 8:30 PM ET on ABC and the ESPN app. The Spurs need a strong home response to avoid falling behind.