Knicks edge Spurs again, take 2-0 NBA Finals lead

Jalen Brunson converted the decisive free throw as the New York Knicks withstood a dramatic late comeback from the San Antonio Spurs to secure a 105-104 victory on Friday, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, News.Az reports, citing AFP.

San Antonio's star Victor Wembanyama missed a potential game-winning shot with just two seconds remaining, leaving the Spurs facing the daunting challenge of mounting a historic comeback as the best-of-seven series moves to New York for Games 3 and 4.

No team in NBA history has won the championship after losing the first two games of the Finals on its home court.

The 1993 Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan and the 1995 Houston Rockets are the only teams to have opened an NBA Finals by winning the first two games on the road, and both franchises went on to capture the title.

The Knicks also extended their playoff winning streak to 13 games, the second-longest postseason run in NBA history. They will now have an opportunity to move closer to their first championship since 1973 in front of their home crowd at Madison Square Garden. US President Donald Trump is expected to attend Monday's Game 3.

New York, however, was forced to survive a remarkable fourth-quarter rally from San Antonio. The Spurs erased a 14-point deficit by producing a 14-0 scoring run that put the pressure squarely on the visitors.

After a quiet first half, Wembanyama came alive in the second, scoring 22 of his 29 points after the break. His three-point play with 57.3 seconds left gave the Spurs a 104-102 advantage, their first lead since the second quarter.

Brunson responded by tying the game, and after Wembanyama committed a turnover with a pass that sailed behind Stephon Castle, the Knicks guard drew a foul and converted the first of two free throws to restore New York's lead.

San Antonio still had one final opportunity after calling a timeout with 7.5 seconds remaining. The Spurs managed to get the ball into the hands of Wembanyama, but his jump shot failed to find the basket.

"A great player got a great shot, and it just didn't go in," said Karl-Anthony Towns, who paced the Knicks with 21 points and 13 rebounds while also delivering an outstanding defensive performance that kept Wembanyama from finding his usual rhythm for much of the game.

"He's a once in a generation player," Towns said. "You got to make it difficult on him. So, just utilizing my experience, utilizing my size, my skill, and just trying to make it difficult for him.

Brunson and Mikal Bridges scored 20 points each, OG Anunoby added 17 and Landry Shamet scored 13 off the bench for the Knicks.

Wembanyama added nine rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals, and De'Aaron Fox scored 20 points for the Spurs.

Desperate not to head back to New York in a 2-0 hole, the Spurs attacked the paint early.

Wembanyama thrilled Spurs fans at the Frost Bank Center -- where Knicks supporters were a vocal presence -- with his first basket of the night, a left-handed dunk that gave the Spurs a 15-10 lead.

Fox's alley oop layup off a feed from Devin Vassell pushed the lead to 10 with less than two minutes to go in the first.

The Spurs pushed their lead to 12 before the Knicks responded in a tense second quarter, taking the lead for the first time, 49-48, on Landry Shamet's layup with 3:39 left in the first half.

San Antonio regained the lead, but Towns's three-pointer over Wembanyama gave the Knicks a 56-52 halftime advantage that they pushed to as many as 12 before taking an 84-75 lead into the fourth quarter.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev