Knicks Take Control in San Antonio
The Knicks opened the NBA Finals with a 105-95 victory over the Spurs in Game 1, tying a franchise championship record and moving within three wins of their first title since 1973.
New York erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit on the road to win by double digits, extending their postseason win streak to 12 games.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
A Balanced Attack
Jalen Brunson finished with 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter on 5-of-9 shooting. Brunson now has 143 clutch points over the last four playoffs, 59 more than the next closest player.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points, OG Anunoby contributed 17, and Landry Shamet chipped in 13. Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado combined for 21 additional points.
The Knicks grabbed offensive rebounds that resulted in 22 second-chance points while committing just one turnover in the second half.
Defensive Dominance
New York's defense held the Spurs to 2-for-19 from three-point range in the second half, forcing their lowest scoring output of the postseason.
Through the first 15 games of these playoffs, the Knicks have outscored opponents by 281 points. The 2017 Warriors at plus-242, the 1996 Bulls at plus-210, and the 1987 Lakers at plus-206 round out the top four historically.
Teams winning Game 1 of the Finals on the road have gone on to win the series just 42% of the time, with 11 of 19 teams overcoming an opening loss.