The New York Knicks have now won 13 straight playoff games, but the San Antonio Spurs came within two points of ending that streak on Friday. The Knicks won 105-104 after star guard Jalen Brunson hit the go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left and Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama missed a midrange jumper to end the contest.
After winning 105-95 in Game 1 despite being down by as many as 14 points, the Knicks came back from being down by 12 points in the first half on Friday. They took a 49-48 lead on a layup by guard Landry Shamet with 3:39 left in the half and led 56-52 at halftime.
New York held Wembanyama to seven points in the first half, but the Western Conference finals MVP tallied 22 in the second half. The Knicks counteracted that with a balanced offensive performance, as three of their players finished with 20-plus points.
New York went up 97-83 with 5:59 left in the game, but San Antonio then went on a 14-0 run over the next three minutes. Spurs guard Dylan Harper tied the contest on a pull-up two-pointer with 2:59 left, and Wembanyama put the squad up 104-102 on an and-one with 57.3 seconds left.
Brunson then tied the contest again with a midrange fadeaway on the next possession before stealing the ball on a bad pass from Wembanyama with 9.5 seconds left. The 22-year-old fouled Brunson, leading to the latter player's go-ahead free throw.
New York is the third team in NBA history to win the first two games of a finals series on the road, per SNY's Ian Begley.
Knicks on Brink of First Title in 53 Years
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
New York hasn't won an NBA championship since 1973, but it's now two wins away from changing that. The Knicks are taking a 2-0 series lead back to Madison Square Garden in Monday's Game 3, and they could hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy as soon as Wednesday if they sweep the Spurs.
Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with 21 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 3-point) as well as 13 rebounds over 34 minutes on Friday. The seven-foot, 248-pounder also tallied four assists against two turnovers with one steal and one block.
Forward Mikal Bridges added 20 points (8-13 FG, 4-6 3-point) with six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one turnover across 41 minutes. Meanwhile, Brunson had 20 points (7-25 FG, 2-8 3-point) with five rebounds, six assists, five steals and four turnovers across 38 minutes.
Game 3 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday and will be broadcast on ABC.
