2026 NBA Finals: Biggest takeaways from Knicks-Spurs Game 5NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsJun 13, 2026, 11:36 PM ET
tamil yogi
The 2026 NBA Finals have ended as the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday.
New York’s road to hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy was a strong one. The New York Knicks stole home-court advantage in Game 1, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 before taking a decisive 2-0 lead with a 105-104 win in Game 2 on Friday. The Spurs bounced back in Game 3 with a 115-111 win at Madison Square Garden, while New York completed the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history, coming back from a 29-point halftime deficit Wednesday to take Game 4 107-106.
The Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals to reach the championship round for the first time since 1999. They ended a decades-long drought, winning their first title since 1973.
More coverage:
Previous Finals takeaways | Playoff results
Bracket | Offseason guides | More
(3) New York Knicks eliminate (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4-1
Game 5: Spurs 94, Knicks 90
Biggest takeaway from the Knicks’ performance: If there were a script writer, everything in this series would follow a similar story. Spurs take the lead, Knicks fight back, Brunson takes over. It felt inevitable, even though Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out, even though the Knicks’ bench didn’t arrive until late in the third quarter. Brunson delivering a 40-ball in a closeout game will be remembered for ages. — Vincent Goodwill
Biggest takeaway from the Spurs’ performance: Hard-nosed defense perfumed a stinker on offense, but not long enough to prevent San Antonio from blowing yet another double-digit lead on the way to elimination by way of a 94-90 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Spurs built a double-digit lead (16 points) for the fifth-consecutive game this series, only for New York to chop it down to five going into intermission. The Spurs limited the Knicks to their lowest first-half scoring output of the season (37 points), regular season or playoffs, with a five-block performance from Victor Wembanyama. But a 10-0 Knicks run tied the score at 83 with 4:48 left to play.
New York took its first lead since the first quarter just one minute and eight seconds later when Jalen Brunson, who racked up a game-high 43 points, made three free throws to give New York a lead it would never surrender. — Michael C. Wright
One significant stat from Game 5: This year’s NBA Finals were defined by its tortoise versus hare dynamic: The Knicks clinched their first championship since 1973 by shaking off dreadful starts to outlast the Spurs with a series of heroic comebacks.
The Spurs won the first quarters by a total of 57 points across the five games, holding a double-digit lead in the opening period of every contest. Undeterred, the Knicks cumulatively outscored San Antonio by 29 points in the second quarters, 14 points in the third quarters and 27 points in the fourth quarters. True to form, New York came back from seven points down at the end of the third quarter to win Game 5.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson never found lineup or strategy answers for his team’s persistent fading, and Knicks star Jalen Brunson cemented himself as a New York sports legend with another strong late-game performance after rolling his left ankle Saturday. — Ben Golliver
Game 4: Knicks 107, Spurs 106
Biggest takeaway from the Knicks’ performance: The Knicks are never out of a game, even when making NBA history is required. They proved it by completing a 29-point comeback, the largest ever in a Finals game, to put themselves within one game of a title. Jalen Brunson took another step toward etching himself in New York sports and NBA lore with every thrilling bucket. But the Knicks’ stifling defense and appropriate physicality set the stage for the most timely tip-in in Knicks history — OG Anunoby’s soaring touch with 1.2 seconds left. — Vincent Goodwill
Biggest takeaway from the Spurs’ performance: The Spurs seemed to dominate the Knicks physically for the second consecutive game, but they couldn’t do it long enough to prevent the largest collapse in league history to fall behind 3-1 in the series. A 12-2 run to start and deadeye shooting made Game 4 look like a wrap — San Antonio built a 76-49 lead before the Wu-Tang Clan even stepped onto the court for its halftime performance.
The Spurs let off the gas in the second half, and by the end of the third quarter, New York trailed by only 15 points. A 7-1 Knicks run cut San Antonio’s lead to four points with 4:34 remaining. And with 1:22 left, New York took its first lead.
In a postseason chock full of lessons for the young Spurs, this newest might prove to be the most painful. — Michael C. Wright
Game 4’s biggest overreaction: The series is over.
All four games have come down to the final seconds. Do I think the Knicks will ultimately win the title? Yes. But with two days between every game, Wembanyama will get a chance to recharge and the young Spurs will keep coming. But the party in New York will last until at least the start of Game 5 on Saturday night after this truly unbelievable comeback.
Verdict: Overreaction. — Tim Bontemps
Stats to know (via ESPN Research):
-
The Spurs scored 76 points in the first half before scoring only 30 the rest of the way. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, that 46-point difference tied the largest such decrease in a playoff game in the shot clock era (since 1954-55).
-
The Knicks are the 39th team to take a 3-1 lead in the Finals. The previous 38 teams this has happened, 37 teams closed the deal, with only the 2016 Warriors blowing such a lead vs. the LeBron James-led Cavaliers.
-
Anunoby is the fifth player in the play-by-play era (1998) to make his first two career go-ahead attempts in the final five seconds of a playoff game. He previously hit a buzzer-beater in Game 3 of the 2020 conference semifinals. Anunoby joins Tyrese Haliburton (made first three such attempts), Luka Doncic, James and Robert Horry
What to watch in Game 5: How does San Antonio pick up the pieces after the worst collapse in Finals history?
The Spurs watched a 29-point lead disappear with passive offense in the second half and a series of late-game errors. In the final two minutes, Wembanyama missed a pair of free throws, De’Aaron Fox attempted and missed a transition layup when he probably should have run time off the clock, and the Spurs lost track of Anunoby for a winning putback. Though the young Spurs have been wiser than their years throughout this playoff run, moving past so many potential regrets while facing elimination will be a tall task. — Ben Golliver
Game 3: Spurs 115, Knicks 111
Biggest takeaway from the Spurs’ performance: The Spurs, who proved they could start fast with double-digit leads in the opening quarter of each outing, finally showed they could finish. Wembanyama (32 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) shined in San Antonio’s most complete showing in these Finals.
Ahead of Game 3, coach Mitch Johnson repeatedly expressed confidence in San Antonio’s prospects despite its 0-2 deficit — provided his team revived its normal brand of unselfish basketball. For the most part, San Antonio succeeded, spraying 28 assists after averaging just 14 over the first two contests. Six Spurs reached double figures in scoring. — Michael C. Wright
Biggest takeaway from the Knicks’ performance: The basic tenets of seven weeks of winning basketball abandoned the Knicks, at least in stretches. It felt like they were always stalking the Spurs in the second half but couldn’t sustain their slim leads and couldn’t frustrate Wembanyama like they did in the first two games.
After a balanced offense for the majority of their 13-game playoff winning streak, the scoring burden fell mostly on Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, who combined for 60 of New York’s 111 points. For the first time in a while, the Knicks taste defeat with some things to clean up ahead of Wednesday’s Game 4. — Vincent Goodwill
Game 3’s biggest overreaction: The Knicks are under pressure in Game 4
Sure, the Knicks blew their chance to close out this series in Game 4, but they still hold home-court advantage thanks to winning both games in San Antonio and clearly will be confident they can still win there. Now, if the Spurs can do this again Wednesday night? Suddenly, the NYC party will turn into panic.
Verdict: Overreaction. — Tim Bontemps
Stats to know (via ESPN Research):
-
Wembanyama is the second-youngest player (22 years, 155 days) in NBA history with 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in a Finals game, trailing only Magic Johnson (20 years, 276 days).
-
Wembanyama, with three blocks in Game 3, has 70 this postseason, passing Dikembe Mutombo (69 blocks during the 1994 playoffs) for the most in a postseason debut since blocks were first tracked in 1974.
What to watch for in Game 4: How will the Knicks respond to their first loss in 46 days?
After New York’s 13-game playoff winning streak went kaput, coach Mike Brown will surely feel like he has a lot to clean up. Jalen Brunson was uncharacteristically sloppy with five turnovers, and Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet spent Monday firing blanks.
Karl-Anthony Towns has become New York’s X factor: The All-Star center played like a Finals MVP during the two games in San Antonio, then turned in a quiet 11-point, eight-rebound, one-assist performance while being outdueled by Wembanyama at Madison Square Garden. Towns must reassert himself for the Knicks to maintain control of this series. — Ben Golliver
Game 2: Knicks 105, Spurs 104
Biggest takeaway from the Spurs’ performance: Unlike Game 1, the Spurs’ second wind finally came. But with a chance to secure a comeback of their own, Wembanyama threw an errant pass that bounced off Stephon Castle’s back and into the sure hands of Jalen Brunson, whose free throw with 9.5 seconds remaining put the Spurs in a 2-0 deficit.
For just the second time in these playoffs, San Antonio lost the battle on the glass 44-42 to a Knicks squad that played with more desperation despite already stealing home-court advantage. The last time an opponent outrebounded the Spurs in the playoffs, they suffered a 15-point loss to Oklahoma City in the conference finals. Of the 37 teams to go up 2-0 in the NBA Finals, 32 have gone on to lift the trophy, making for long odds for San Antonio as the series shifts to New York. — Wright
Biggest takeaway from the Knicks’ performance: Perhaps it was experience or urgency on display for the Knicks. They didn’t wait for the Spurs to hit them first, although they had to weather a great storm.
They’ve become the third team to take the first two games of the Finals on the road, joining the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets, both of whom won titles.
Karl-Anthony Towns continued his career-best work, with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges seemed to hit everything in sight. The Knicks forced turnovers, got lucky ones and didn’t beat themselves — an impressive showing in a situation where teams often fold after stealing a road Game 1. — Goodwill
Game 2’s biggest overreaction: This series is over.
The Knicks, somehow, have not lost in more than six weeks.
San Antonio is the third team in NBA history to lose the first two games of the NBA Finals at home — joining the 1993 Phoenix Suns and the 1995 Orlando Magic.
The road teams in those two series, the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, went on to win titles. History alone tips things in New York’s favor — and that’s before apparent injuries to Castle and De’Aaron Fox late in Game 2.
Despite all that, don’t close the book on San Antonio just yet. The West champs had chances to win both games in this series, and the Knicks managed to sneak away with victories in the closing moments. The Spurs proved they can win big road games in the last round against Oklahoma City.
Perhaps Wembanyama and the Spurs have a few more left. They’ll need to win at least two games in the atmosphere waiting for them in Monday’s Game 3 and Wednesday’s Game 4: the first Finals games inside Madison Square Garden in 27 years. — Bontemps
Stats to know (via ESPN Research):
-
Towns is the first Knicks player with a 20-point double-double in a road Finals game since 1973 (Dave DeBusschere).
-
Game 2 was the Knicks’ eighth straight road playoff win, tied with the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest single-season road win streak in NBA playoff history.
Game 1: Knicks 105, Spurs 95
Biggest takeaway from the Spurs’ performance: San Antonio released its grip on Finals opening night supremacy, falling for the first time in Game 1 after posting a 6-0 record all time in the first game of the final round. Spurs guards Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper struggled mightily against Jalen Brunson, who scored 19 of his game-high 30 points in the second half. San Antonio boasts arguably the league’s most impactful defender in Wembanyama, but the visitors destroyed the Spurs in the paint, outscoring the home team 50-42 in that area. — Wright
Biggest takeaway from the Knicks’ performance: This team didn’t appear to be awed by the atmosphere, nor the specter of Wembanyama. Though New York led for only 19 minutes, 31 seconds of game time, Brunson’s takeover in the fourth quarter was a winning formula. He took 30 shots in total for 30 points, with nine attempts in the fourth. Once New York shut down the Spurs’ 3-point shooting, it seemed like just a matter of time before the Knicks would take firm control and establish themselves in the series. A familiar formula: Karl-Anthony Towns early, Brunson late. — Goodwill
Game 1’s biggest overreaction: The Knicks are now the favorites.
Yes, the Knicks have taken home court from San Antonio, and Wembanyama certainly looked like his energy was still sapped from the grueling seven-game slugfest with the Thunder. But Brunson — though he made some remarkable shots — was extremely inefficient. San Antonio left a lot on the table, and we have already seen the Spurs win two games in Oklahoma City.
What isn’t an overreaction, though? This series is going six games — at least.
The verdict: Overreaction. — Bontemps
Stats to know:
-
Brunson had his 38th 25-point playoff game with the Knicks — the second most in franchise history, behind only Patrick Ewing (43). The Knicks are 6-0 this postseason when Brunson scores 30-plus points.
-
Josh Hart is now the second player with 15 rebounds, five assists and four steals in a Finals game, joining Larry Bird, who did it in Game 3 of the 1986 Finals against the Rockets. Hart’s 15 boards are the most in a Finals game by a player 6-foot-5 or shorter since the Lakers’ Elgin Baylor grabbed 20 in Game 1 of the 1970 Finals against the Knicks.
-
The Knicks have now won seven road games by double-digits this postseason, the most by any team in a single postseason in NBA history (surpassing the 2013 Heat).
-
This was the Knicks’ seventh double-digit comeback in the second half over the past two postseasons, by far the most in the NBA. No other team has more than three over that span. — ESPN Research
