Key takeaways:
- The Knicks defeated the Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 to win their first NBA championship since 1973 and the third title in franchise history.
- Jalen Brunson scored 45 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and set a Knicks record for points in an NBA Finals game.
- San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, while Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 25 points.
Jalen Brunson delivered the game New York had waited 53 years to see, scoring 45 points as the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on Saturday night to win the NBA championship for the first time since 1973.
The victory at Frost Bank Center clinched the best-of-seven NBA Finals in five games and gave the Knicks the third title in franchise history, joining the championships won in 1970 and 1973. Brunson was named finals MVP after setting a Knicks record for points in a finals game, surpassing Willis Reed’s 38 against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the 1970 series.
New York trailed 72-65 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring San Antonio 29-18 over the final 12 minutes. Brunson scored 15 points in the period and 29 after halftime, carrying nearly half of the Knicks’ offense in the title-clinching win.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” Brunson told ESPN on the court, fighting back tears. “I’m just like, I’m in awe. I don’t know. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.”
The Knicks had been down by as many as 16 in Game 5 and rallied from double-digit deficits in each of their four wins in the series. They were in position to clinch after a Game 4 comeback Wednesday, when they erased a 29-point second-half deficit to beat San Antonio 107-106.
“My confidence comes to my work ethic,” Brunson said. “Every time I had the ball, all I could think about is all the hours in the summer for every summer I had since I ever could remember making this a reality. So whenever I had the ball, I’m just thinking about just being alone in the gym.”
San Antonio struggled late, shooting 31.8% in the fourth quarter. Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, but shot 7-for-19 and scored only three points in the final period. Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 25 points off the bench and became only the fourth player to score at least 20 points in consecutive NBA Finals games, joining Alvan Adams, Tom Heinsohn and Joe Fulks.
The free-throw line proved crucial in a four-point game. The Knicks attempted 28 free throws to the Spurs’ 18, and Brunson alone went to the line 15 times. New York made eight more free throws than San Antonio. Josh Hart added 13 points and 11 rebounds and finished a team-best plus-15.
The Spurs led 23-13 after the first quarter as the Knicks shot 4-for-22, committed six turnovers and failed to score in the paint. San Antonio stretched the margin to 16 before New York cut the deficit to 42-37 at halftime despite shooting 29.5% from the field. The Spurs pushed back in the third behind Harper, Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell, but the Knicks closed the period on a 10-2 run to stay within seven.
The title also gave the New York City area its first major professional championship across the four major North American team sports leagues since the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI after the 2011 season, CBS News reported. The Spurs, who last won the championship in 2014, are now 5-2 all time in the NBA Finals.
In New York, fans gathered across the city to watch and celebrate. The BBC reported that Mayor Zohran Mamdani said before the game that the city was working with the Knicks to host watch parties outside Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Wollman Rink.
“As we celebrate, be responsible, look out for one another, stay safe, be smart, and make this a night that reflects the very best of our city,” Mamdani said.
The BBC also reported that the mayor’s message followed local reports of violence against Spurs fans in New York, including an assault that sent one fan to the hospital and another attack involving a fast food worker wearing a Spurs jersey. Knicks and Spurs players condemned the violence and harassment.
Before Game 5, some Knicks fans traveling to San Antonio raised concerns after Ticketmaster posted that purchases by customers living more than 150 miles from the arena would be canceled and refunded without notice. Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on social media: “Knicks fans finally get within one game of a championship and their reward is having their tickets canceled?” Ticketmaster later said no tickets bought on its platform “have or will be canceled.”
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