NBA Finals: Brunson scores, Wembanyama misses, Knicks hold on to take 2-game lead over Spurs
Jalen Brunson out-duels Victor Wembanyama to send New York home on the verge of a championship
Jalen Brunson drilled the go-ahead free throw as the New York Knicks held off a furious San Antonio rally to beat the Spurs 105-104 on Friday and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama missed a potential game-winner with two seconds remaining to leave the Spurs in need of an unprecedented comeback when the best-of-seven series shifts to New York for games three and four.
No team has lifted the trophy after dropping the first two games of the finals at home.
Michael Jordan’s 1993 Chicago Bulls and the 1995 Houston Rockets are the only other teams to win the first two games of the championship series on the road, and both went on to win titles.
The Knicks won their 13th straight game of the playoffs – the second-longest streak in post-season history – and will have a chance to close out their first title since 1973 in front of home fans at Madison Square Garden. US President Donald Trump is scheduled to be there on Monday.
They had to withstand a scintillating fourth-quarter surge from the Spurs, who erased a 14-point deficit with a 14-0 scoring run.