The New York Knicks are heading home with all the momentum.
After building a comfortable lead for much of the night, the Knicks were forced to withstand a furious late rally from the San Antonio Spurs before escaping with a 105-104 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Jalen Brunson was clutch once more, hitting a go-ahead free throw with less than ten seconds left , following a mistimed turnover from Victor Wembanyama. Unfortunately for the Spurs , when the opportunity for redemption came Wembanyama was unable to answer opportunity’s call, as his game winning jumper careened off the rim as time expired.
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 21 points and 13 boards, but set the tone early in his matchup against Wembanyama, taking it to him and leaving the French star shell-shocked and largely ineffective for a large portion of the opening half. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges added 20 points apiece, with the later connecting on 8 consecutive field goals at one point.
The Spurs came out with the energy of a team that did not want to go down 2-0, and building as much as a 12 point lead at 37-25 on Stephon Castle’s three pointer at the 11:32 mark of the second quarter. The Knicks trailed until a Wembanyama pass ( a harbinger of things to come), was stolen by Brunson, leading to a short jumper from Bridges that put New York up 53-52 with 38.3 left in the half.
New York took a 56-53 lead into halftime.
The Knicks led for the entire third quarter and into the fourth quarter, building their advantage to as much as 14 points at 97-83 on OG Anunoby’s slam dunk with 6:45 remaining in the contest.
San Antonio refused to go away, launching a 14-0 run that tied the game at 97 on Dylan Harper’s floater with 2:59 to go. Wembanyama’s three-point play gave the Spurs the lead 104-102 with 57.3 second remaining. Brunson tied the game with a fall away jumper on the next possession to knot the game at 104 with 39.3 seconds left and the knocked down the aforementioned go ahead shot from the charity stripe with 9.5 seconds left following a steal when Wembanyama attempted an outlet pass to a not-looking Stephon Castle.
With the series shifting to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4, the Knicks now find themselves in a favorable position as they pursue the franchise’s first NBA championship in more than five decades. The Spurs, meanwhile, face the daunting task of defending their home court deficit and finding a way to get back into the series before it slips away.
Despite the very slow start,Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and 9 rebounds on 11-21 shooting; De’Aaron Fox added 20 points, with 14 apiece coming from Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell.
New York join the 1993 Chicago Bulls and the 1995 Houston Rockets as teams that won the first two games of the NBA Finals on the road. The Bulls and Michael Jordan ultimately defeated the Phoenix Suns in 6 games, while Olajuwon’s Rockets swept the Orlando Magic.
Game 3 is set for Monday night in New York, where a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd will welcome a Knicks team that is now just two wins away from an NBA title.
