The Knicks survived a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Spurs to earn a 105–104 victory Friday night. New York leads the NBA Finals 2–0 as the series heads to Madison Square Garden.
The Spurs looked good early, led by the hot shooting from guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox went 4-for-5 from the field, including a three-pointer that helped put San Antonio up 34–25 after one quarter.
New York responded in the second quarter, finding its range from three-point land. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges both heated up, with Towns hitting 2-of-3 from deep and Bridges connecting on 3-of-3. The Knicks led 56–52 at halftime.
Bridges carried that momentum into the third, going 4-for-4 and adding nine points as New York extended its advantage to 84–75 after three quarters.
The lead ballooned to 16, 97–83, with 6:06 remaining in the 4th quarter after a OG Anunoby powerful dunk.
The rattle of the rim must have woken the Spurs. San Antonio went on a 21–5 run right after to take a 104–102 lead with 39 seconds left. Jalen Brunson answered immediately—hitting a jumper to tie the game and then knocking down a free throw to give the Knicks a 105–104 lead with 10 seconds remaining.
Victor Wembanyama had a chance to win it for the Spurs, but his last-second jumper was too strong.
Wembanyama led all scorers with 29 points. Towns added 21 to lead the Knicks
The two teams resume the series on Monday night.
