The New York Knicks stunned the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 on Friday at the Frost Bank Center, taking a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals.
Despite a 14-point comeback from San Antonio in the clutch, a tragic turnover changed the course of the game. With seven seconds left in a tied game, Wembanyama threw a bad pass to guard Stephon Castle which immediately turned the ball over, leading to Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson shooting free throws to win the game.
The entire NBA world expected a tremendous bounce-back game from the Spurs after a deflating loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. While the Spurs played significantly better on Friday, they allowed the Knicks to lead throughout the entire second half. There were multiple momentum swings throughout the game, which only the experienced Knicks could take advantage of. New York’s defense swallowed the Spurs’ offensive game plan, stifling Wembanyama specifically in the first half.
The Western Conference finals MVP only had seven points at halftime, a passive performance not expected from the phenom heading into the Finals. This was juxtaposed to an outstanding game offensively from Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns. The veteran big man couldn’t be stopped by the reigning defensive player of the year, posting 21 points and 13 rebounds.
All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox had an exceptional performance in Game 2 after a humiliating showing in Game 1, where he shot an abysmal 23% for seven points in 33 minutes of gametime. Fox bounced back on Friday with a 20-point performance, providing much-needed buckets to keep the Spurs breathing. This wouldn’t be enough to keep the Knicks out of the game.
All season the New York Knicks have been known to kill teams in the clutch. The Spurs witnessed this first hand in Game 1 when Jalen Brunson exploded in the fourth quarter after struggling to hit shots all night. The fear of New York in late-game scenarios is what drove the Spurs to make such costly mistakes down the stretch.
After the deflating turnover by Wemby, the Spurs received the ball trailing by one point with seven seconds left to play. Fox ran out about five seconds at the top of the key before passing it to Wembanyama, where he forced up a contested mid-range jump shot. The Spurs wasted their opportunity for a decent shot, just to ensure the ball would not get to Brunson’s hands to end the game.
The Spurs had multiple chances to put the game away, all of which came up short. The Knicks lead 2-0 as the series heads back to New York. San Antonio will have their backs against the wall in one of the most electric stadiums in basketball.
The Knicks look to advance to 3-0 in the NBA Finals at home, one game closer to the franchise’s first championship since 1973. Game 3 is set for Monday, June 8th at 7:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
