Spurs Collapse Late in Fourth Quarter, Drop Game 1 of NBA Finals to Knicks

SAN ANTONIO — Julian Champagnie didn't back down at the idea. He certainly won't after his Game 1 performance against the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

But it couldn't be ignored. He knew that, especially as a New York native.

"We're not too worried about their fans," Champagnie said, asked about the amount of Knicks fans he expected to travel to Frost Bank Center on Wednesday. "I know how they get."

As both the San Antonio Spurs and the Knicks prepared for battle — a long-awaited rematch of the 1999 Finals — Champagnie was vindicated . A third of the arena, decked in Knicks Blue, couldn't be drowned out at each visitor basket or forced turnover.

They were the crowd heading back to their hotels and homes happy at the final buzzer. The Knicks, stunning the 62-win Spurs at home, took Game 1, 105-95, to take a 1-0 series lead.

The Spurs cited an overall lack of organization, stemming from a lack of shotmaking by Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, who combined to shoot 9-for-34 from the field on the night. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson diagnosed the issue rather quickly.

"There was a few times it felt like we didn't have an appropriate offensive possession," Johnson said, "(We weren't) trying to be greedy for our best shot or using spacing and passing — because that's how we play. It got us on our heels a few times."

Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson huddles with his team during the fourth quarter during Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Where the Spurs struggled to make shots, the Knicks suffered a similar fate. The difference for New York came in the form of Jalen Brunson, who scored 13 of his 30 points in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter. The Knicks closed Game 1 on an 11-0 run.

"I think we let that one go," Victor Wembanyama admitted postgame before taking accountability for his poor shooting. "I’m going to figure it out. I was bad tonight. It’s not more complicated than that … (it being the first NBA Finals game) was not a factor.”

Wembanyama finished with 26 points to pace the Spurs, followed by Champagnie, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who scored 16, 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Champagnie, in particular, connected on five 3s in the first half — good for third-most in Spurs Finals history — and failed to hit any of his four attempts in the second half.

Beyond scoring, the Spurs only logged 16 team assists after averaging 28.1 per game in the regular season. Johnson harped on that, too.

"Sixteen assists for us is not our brand of basketball," the coach said. "Just zoomed all the way out, there's a lot of things that we've discussed in this press conference that we can get better at and clean up. That's something that is not up to the standard."

Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after a foul against the New York Knicks in the second half during Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Riding an 11-game playoff win streak, the Knicks entered Game 1 expecting a rhythmic Spurs team fresh off a warlike seven-game series against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Shaking off rust themselves, they were glad to steal home court from San Antonio, even if they left the court knowing they had missed opportunities.

The Knicks shot just 41 percent from the field while losing the rebounding battle 49-54. Despite scoring 50 points in the paint, they only notched 12 fast-break points.

"It was a good win," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "We felt we didn't play well ... and, obviously, it's good to learn from a win, especially when you didn't feel like you played well."

With another game at home — this time expecting a rowdy Knicks representation — the Spurs now fix their eyes on evening their first NBA Finals before heading East.

Knowing their own history, they aren't worried about the outcome.

"We have a chip on our shoulder from this game," Harper said. "You never want to lose, but I feel like going into the next game, we're going to be even hungrier, keep on improving."

Added Wembanyama: "I'm not kicking myself about anything. I'm not worried the slightest."

Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks from Frost Bank Center is set for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Central on ESPN and ABC.

Add us as a preferred source on Google