Heroes and zeros from the Knicks’ 105-95 Game 1 win over the Spurs in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San Antonio:
Hero
Jalen Brunson was at his best in crunch time. Really, is anyone surprised?
Despite suffering knee and ankle injuries in the first half and starting 1-for-7 from the field, Brunson scored 13 of his game-high 30 points in the final quarter.
His 3-pointer with 1:50 left gave the Knicks the lead for good, and he added a rainbow jumper that pushed the lead to six and iced Game 1.
Zero
De’Aaron Fox missed 10 of 13 shots from the field and was a Spurs weak link.
The former All-Star had been inconsistent in the Western Conference finals, and he struggled in the series opener. His missed jumper in the lane that could’ve pulled the Spurs even with 1:31 left was apropos of his night.
Unsung hero
Karl-Anthony Towns’ terrific postseason continues.
He was a monster on the glass (12 rebounds), efficient on the offensive end (7-of-15 shooting, 18 points) and made plays for his teammates (four assists).
He didn’t back down from the challenge of Victor Wembanyama — he met it head on.
Key stat
10.5: Spurs’ 3-point shooting percentage in the second half. They were 2-for-19.
Quote
“We just have a lot of tough guys, a lot of guys that don’t quit. Everybody in this locker room has faced adversity, and wouldn’t be here if they didn’t. So whenever we’re down, we don’t panic,”
— Josh Hart on the Game 1 win.
