Jalen Brunson gives injury updates after Game 1 win

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) grabs his leg as San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) looks on during the first quarter during Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson gives injury updates after leading Knicks to Game 1 NBA Finals win over Spurs

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Jun 4, 2026 12:37 PM ET

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New York Knicks fans around the country held their breaths as superstar captain Jalen Brunson limped into the locker room with an apparent right-knee injury late in the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals matchup at the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Brunson returned to the court in the second quarter, but he was then spotted limping toward the bench after he seemed to hurt his ankle.

Nevertheless, Brunson once again was able to play the role of hero and guide the Knicks to a come-from-behind 105-95 victory. Following the win, Brunson offered a brief update on his status.

Jalen Brunson makes vow after injury scares

"I’ll be alright," Brunson confidently told ESPN’s Lisa Salters, as shared by Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media.

Brunson wasn't a one-man show against San Antonio on Wednesday. As SNY's Ian Begley noted, Spurs unicorn Victor Wembanyama shot just 2-for-12 when defended by Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

That said, Brunson was every bit his "Captain Clutch" self as he scored 13 of his game-high 30 points in the contest's fourth quarter. His final bucket of the night came with under 40 seconds left in regulation during what became an 11-0 Knicks run that closed the game out and silenced members of the home crowd:

"JALEN BRUNSON DOES IT AGAIN!"

13 IN THE 4Q. 30 FOR THE GAME.

KNICKS LEAD BY 6. 37.8 SECONDS TO GO. pic.twitter.com/dyiDJoklmi
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026

Trust a big part of Knicks' rallies

As has been the case throughout New York's playoff winning streak that extended to 12 games on Wednesday, the Knicks never lost their composure when they trailed the Spurs or when it was clear that Brunson was hurting.

"I don’t want to say calmness, but I think we know what we have to do," Brunson said about the Knicks not panicking in certain situations, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. "I think we are a pretty together group. Be able to trust each other and still have each other’s back and know that we just have to keep chipping away, chipping away. It’s just a credit to the mentality that we have as a team."

Brunson again insisted while speaking with reporters after the game that he will be "fine" moving forward. Of course, one can only guess how he'll feel on Thursday when the adrenaline he felt on Wednesday is but a memory.

History suggests Brunson will once again power through any and all discomfort once he steps onto the Frost Bank Center court in San Antonio for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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