The 2026 NBA Finals belong to New York. The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4–1 to win their first championship since 1973, and Jalen Brunson — 32.6 points a game, 45 in the Game 5 clincher — was the unanimous Finals MVP. This hub tracks the series game by game: the results, the numbers and how a 53-year wait finally ended.
The series, game by game
A 1999 Finals rematch on paper, this series was decided by inches. Four of the five games were settled by four points or fewer, and New York rallied from a double-digit deficit in every one of its four wins — the mark of a champion that refused to fold.
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 3 | Knicks 105, Spurs 95 | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio |
| 2 | June 5 | Knicks 105, Spurs 104 | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio |
| 3 | June 8 | Spurs 115, Knicks 111 | Madison Square Garden, New York |
| 4 | June 10 | Knicks 107, Spurs 106 | Madison Square Garden, New York |
| 5 | June 13 | Knicks 94, Spurs 90 | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio |
New York stole both road games to open the series, San Antonio answered at Madison Square Garden in Game 3, and Game 4 produced an instant classic — more on that below — before the Knicks closed it out back in San Antonio.
How New York won it
Jalen Brunson did in the Finals what he had done all postseason: dictate tempo and live at his spots. He led the Knicks at 32.6 points a game across the five games, closed Game 5 with 45 — 13 of them in a row in the fourth quarter — and was named Finals MVP on a unanimous ballot.
The quieter story was OG Anunoby, whose elite two-way efficiency — rim attacks, corner threes and the nightly Victor Wembanyama assignment — anchored both ends. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in double-digit rebounding, and his pick-and-pop gravity kept San Antonio’s rim protection honest all series.
Wembanyama and the Spurs’ counterpunch
San Antonio arrived as the West’s No. 2 seed after eliminating top-seeded Oklahoma City in the conference finals, and Victor Wembanyama kept them alive almost single-handedly. He opened Games 1 through 3 averaging 29.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks — the first player to begin a Finals at those levels since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001 — and was, by most measures, the best player on the floor.
His problem was the scoreboard. In a series full of one-possession finishes and historic swings, San Antonio’s offense went cold in clutch time and the Spurs won just once. Stephon Castle and rookie guard Dylan Harper were productive in support, but no one could carry the closing minutes alongside him.
Game 4: the 29-point miracle
Down 29 in the second half at home, the Knicks produced the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. It was built on defense — San Antonio managed just 38 second-half points — and finished with Anunoby’s putback with 1.2 seconds left for the 107–106 final.
The transition game told the story: New York turned thirteen second-half stops into points before the Spurs could set their halfcourt defense, flipping a blowout into a coin-flip. A 2–1 series became a commanding 3–1 lead on a single tip-in — and New York never let go.
How it ended: Game 5
Back at the Frost Bank Center, the Knicks closed it out 94–90. Brunson scored 45, including 13 straight in the fourth quarter, to end San Antonio’s season and a championship wait that stretched back to 1973 — the fourth time in the series New York erased a double-digit deficit to win.
The numbers that decided it
It came down to the four factors, starting with effective field-goal percentage in clutch time: New York won the last five minutes of close games on shot quality, not luck. Rebounding kept San Antonio breathing — Wembanyama’s offensive boards generated nearly all of the Spurs’ second-chance points — but it was never quite enough. Our NBA analytics hub breaks down every metric mentioned here.
Full box scores and series stats are available at NBA.com’s playoff central. The Knicks are champions for the first time in 53 years.
