Knicks ride huge third-quarter comeback to Game 1 win

Midway through the third quarter of Wednesday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs led the New York Knicks by 14 points. Then the Knicks buckled down and showed the gumption that's led them to 12 straight playoff wins, finishing with a 105-95 win.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 30 points for the Knicks, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Still, it was a full team effort that delivered the 19-6 run that tied the game in the third quarter and held the Spurs to just 19 points in the final period.

New York Knicks defeated San Antonio Spurs with depth

The Knicks have offensive stars in Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but they often don't get recognized for their solid defense. Towns and Mitchell Robinson, who played with a bandage on his fractured hand, held Victor Wembanyama to 6-for-21 shooting. They forced 13 Spurs turnovers, including six from Wemby, and outscored the Spurs in the paint, 50-42.

Even with Wemby drawing attention in the paint, the Knicks defended the three-point arc. Julian Champagnie shot 5-for-10 on three-pointers, while the rest of the team shot 6-for-33. They did that by deploying four different bench guards. They got 13 points and 33 minutes from Landry Shamet, six points, four assists and a block from Miles McBride, and seven points in 11 minutes from Jose Alvarado, who also grabbed four rebounds.

Combined, the Knicks' bench guards playing 69 minutes, a big part of why New York tired out San Antonio at the end. The Spurs were coming off a seven-game series, while the Knicks were winning the minutes with both of their backup point guards. McBride also hit the game's most improbable shot, a corner three he banked in to tie the game late in the fourth.