The 2026 NBA Finals opened the way New York wanted and San Antonio didn’t: a 105-95 Knicks win in San Antonio, with the Spurs surrendering home-court advantage in the very first game of their first Finals since 1999. Jalen Brunson set the tone with a game-high 30 points, and Victor Wembanyama’s 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks couldn’t drag San Antonio back.
Wembanyama vs Towns — the matchup that tilted it
On the box-score surface, Wembanyama won the individual numbers: 26 and 12 with three blocks against Karl-Anthony Towns’ 18 and 12. Underneath, the matchup went New York’s way. Towns was the cleaner night — 7-of-15 for 18 points, 12 rebounds, a +14 — and he did the thing the Knicks drafted this matchup for: he dragged Wembanyama away from the rim, made him chase out to the three-point line, and still matched him on the glass.
Wembanyama’s own line tells the cost of that tug-of-war: 6-of-21 from the field, 2-of-9 from three, a team-worst six turnovers, and a -3 despite 38 minutes. His 12-of-13 at the line kept the scoring total honest, but the rhythm never came, and every possession he spent guarding Towns 25 feet from the basket was a possession his rim protection couldn’t decide.
Brunson’s 30 carried New York
If Towns won the matchup, Brunson won the game. He was the engine of every Knicks run — a game-high 30 points on heavy volume (12-of-31), taking and making the tough mid-range shot whenever San Antonio threatened to close the gap. He was not alone: OG Anunoby added 17, Landry Shamet hit three triples for 13 off the bench, and Josh Hart filled the margins with 15 rebounds and 6 assists. New York’s balance — five scorers in double figures — was the difference between a comfortable road win and a nervous one.
Spurs: Wembanyama alone wasn’t enough
San Antonio got real contributions around their star — Stephon Castle scored 17, Julian Champagnie went 5-of-10 from three for 16, and rookie Dylan Harper added 16 off the bench — but the engine sputtered. De’Aaron Fox had a night to forget: 7 points on 3-of-13. As a team the Spurs couldn’t match New York’s shot-making, and the six Wembanyama giveaways became the cushion the Knicks rode home.
Full box score
Official, certified stats live at NBA.com.
New York Knicks — 105
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Brunson | 37 | 30 | 12-31 | 2-9 | 4-4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 34 | 18 | 7-15 | 0-2 | 4-4 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| OG Anunoby | 31 | 17 | 5-12 | 3-6 | 4-4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Landry Shamet | 33 | 13 | 5-9 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mikal Bridges | 28 | 9 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Jose Alvarado | 11 | 7 | 3-6 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Miles McBride | 19 | 6 | 2-7 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Josh Hart | 27 | 3 | 1-5 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 13 | 2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 6 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
San Antonio Spurs — 95
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | 38 | 26 | 6-21 | 2-9 | 12-13 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Stephon Castle | 34 | 17 | 7-16 | 1-5 | 2-2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Julian Champagnie | 31 | 16 | 5-11 | 5-10 | 1-2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dylan Harper | 28 | 16 | 6-10 | 1-4 | 3-3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Devin Vassell | 36 | 9 | 4-11 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| De’Aaron Fox | 38 | 7 | 3-13 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Keldon Johnson | 8 | 3 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carter Bryant | 4 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Barnes | 12 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Kornet | 10 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Game 2 is a must-respond
Down 0-1 with Game 2 back home on June 5, San Antonio doesn’t need a different Wembanyama — it needs the same defense and rebounding with a warmer shooting night, cleaner ball-handling, and an answer for Brunson. Fall to 0-2 before the series shifts to New York and the math turns brutal; steal Game 2 and the opener becomes a footnote. We’ll track every minute of it on the Finals hub.