Knicks talisman Brunson shrugged off an early injury scare to inspire a magnificent fightback and give New York a precious early advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Brunson upstaged Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama with a masterful clutch fourth quarter display, scoring 13 points in the final frame as the Knicks closed out a win to silence an expectant home crowd in Texas.
The game was tied with just over two minutes to go, but Brunson marshalled the Knicks brilliantly and a late burst of scoring put the game out of the Spurs’ reach.
“Just sticking together. It wasn’t really our night and wasn’t really my night most of the night but we kept finding a way, kept chipping away,” Brunson said afterwards.
The Knicks playmaker said the team’s “chemistry” had helped them climb out of their 14-point hole in the third quarter.
“Just knowing we have each other’s back. There’s a lot of things we could have done better, but I think our togetherness was really the biggest difference,” added Brunson, who left the court in the first quarter with a knee injury before returning.
Brunson was one of four Knicks to finish in double figures, with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 18 points, OG Anunoby 17 and Landry Shamet 13.
Wembanyama led San Antonio’s scoring with 26 points but had a poor shooting night, making just 6-of-21 from the field while pulling down 12 rebounds with three blocks.
Stephon Castle had 17 points and Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie added 16 points apiece.
Game two of the series takes place in San Antonio on Friday. (AFP)
