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Jalen Brunson Had Heated Moment With a Courtside Spurs Fan Right After Knicks’ Game 1 Win

Andy Nesbitt|
Jalen Brunson had some words for a Spurs fan right after the final whistle of the Knicks’ 105-95 win.
Jalen Brunson had some words for a Spurs fan right after the final whistle of the Knicks’ 105-95 win. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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New York KnicksSan Antonio Spurs

Jalen Brunson had another huge night for the Knicks, and it came on the biggest of stages as he was able to lead them back to a stunning 105-95 win over the Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

While Brunson led all scorers with 30 points, a lot of people were wondering what he was so mad at right after the final whistle blew.

MANNIX: Jalen Brunson Is One Win Closer to Ending the Debate for Good

In case you missed it, Brunson was seen having some words with a Spurs fan sitting courtside at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center. ABC’s Mike Breen briefly explained what was happening as he recapped the Knicks’ upset win.

“Brunson with 30 points ... having some words for somebody it looks like behind the scorer’s table,” Breen said. “Not one of the scorers, a fan.”

Lots of fans watching assumed Brunson was having words with referee Scott Foster, but when you watch the clip, it’s clear that he was having words with some fans, not Foster.

Here’s that moment:

A photographer was able to get some good shots of Brunson’s interaction with those Spurs fans.

Jalen Brunson had words with these Spurs fans after the win.
Jalen Brunson had words with these Spurs fans after the win. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Referee Scott Foster was right in the middle of it.
Referee Scott Foster was right in the middle of it. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Brunson wasn’t asked after the game about that moment, but it’s clear that he wasn’t happy with something those fans said or did.

People watching the game on ABC had lots of reactions to it:

Jalen Brunson put the Spurs away with a huge fourth quarter

As Brunson has done throughout this historic postseason run by New York, he put his team on his back in the fourth quarter and led them to their 12th straight victory. The 29-year-old had 13 points in the final frame for the Knicks, who outscored the Spurs by 17 points in the second half.

This bucket put the game on ice, and should have been called a foul on the Spurs:

This angle of that shot is even better, as you can see just how locked in Brunson was on the key play:

Knicks coach Mike Brown perfectly summed up Brunson’s play after the win, saying: “We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that’s happened time after time after time.” 

What’s next in the NBA Finals

The Knicks will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Finals in Game 2, which is Friday night (8:30 p.m. ET) in San Antonio. If they can steal another one on the road, Madison Square Garden is going to be quite a scene when the series shifts to New York for Game 3 and 4.

The Knicks haven’t lost since Game 3 of their opening-round series against the Hawks. They’re coming off sweeps of the 76ers and Cavaliers and are now just three wins away from their first NBA title since 1973.

With everything on the line, Brunson doesn’t need any extra motivation to lead his team to a championship. But he might have gotten a little more thanks to those fans sitting courtside in San Antonio.

More NBA Finals from Sports Illustrated

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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