If you were expecting a high-scoring shootout to kick off the 2026 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs had other plans on Wednesday night. Instead, fans got a heavy dose of 1990s-style basketball—a physical, defensive grind where every single bucket felt earned. When the dust settled at Frost Bank Center, the Knicks kept their incredible run rolling with a 105-95 victory.

New York has now racked up 12 straight wins in these playoffs. They are officially sitting three victories away from securing the franchise’s first championship in 53 years, but getting this first one required an incredible amount of grit.

Jalen Brunson gave New York fans quite a few scares before halftime. First, he banged his right knee during a first-quarter collision with Harrison Barnes and had to head back to the locker room. He returned to the floor, only to roll his left ankle in the second quarter after landing on Luke Kornet.

Brunson clearly did not have his best shooting night, going 12-of-31 from the floor and 2-of-9 from deep. But true to form, he completely locked in when the game was on the line. With the score knotted up under the two-minute mark, he buried a deep three to give New York the lead for good, then put the game away with a tough fadeaway jumper with 38 seconds left. Brunson scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, teaming up with OG Anunoby to carry the offense late. Anunoby finished the night with 17 points.

The real spark for New York’s comeback came in the third quarter, thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns. The Spurs had built a 14-point lead, making life miserable for the Knicks' offense with Victor Wembanyama patrolling the paint. But when San Antonio gave their star big man a quick breather, Towns took full advantage. He found Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet for easy buckets, then powered through the lane for an and-1 lineup. He finished with 18 points and 12 boards, completely changing the momentum of the game.

New York also got a nice boost from their bench. Shamet chipped in 13 points, and Mitchell Robinson managed to give them 13 tough minutes, grabbing six rebounds just a week after having surgery on a broken right pinky.

On the other side, the Spurs looked like a team coming off an emotional seven-game series against Oklahoma City. Wembanyama had a rough night from the field, shooting just 6-of-21, though he kept San Antonio afloat by hitting 12 of his 13 free throws. Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 17 points, while Julian Champagnie and rookie Dylan Harper each added 16. Harper actually had a historic start, lighting up the first quarter for 10 points, but San Antonio simply ran out of gas against New York's defense down the stretch.

The Spurs will have a chance to adjust before Game 2, which tips off Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.