Recap Basketball Wiretap

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and the New York Knicks overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San Antonio at Frost Bank Center.

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby added 17 points. The Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run to secure the road victory.

The win extended New York's postseason winning streak to 12 consecutive games, matching the second-longest single-postseason run in NBA history. The 1999 Spurs and 2017 Warriors each hit that mark before claiming championships.

Brunson delivered 13 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, including a spinning jumper while falling to the floor with 38 seconds remaining that effectively closed out San Antonio.

"He's a gamer, man," said Knicks coach Mike Brown. "In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do."

Victor Wembanyama posted 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs but shot just 6-for-21 from the field in his Finals debut. Stephon Castle contributed 17 points, with Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each adding 16. Champagnie and Harper scored most of their points in the first half. 

"I was bad tonight," Wembanyama said. "It's not more complicated than that."

The Knicks also made history Wednesday, becoming the first team to defeat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs had gone 6-0 in such games previously. New York has now won seven straight road playoff games by double digits, the longest such stretch in league history.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in San Antonio with the Spurs favored by 5.5 points.

"We have a long way to go," Brunson said.

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Jalen Williams scored just one point in 10 minutes in his return from a left hamstring strain as the Oklahoma City Thunder were routed 118-91 by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 Thursday.

Williams was upgraded from questionable to available shortly before tipoff. He came off the bench for the first time since December 2022 and served as the ninth man in Mark Daigneault's rotation, finishing with two turnovers and a minus-18 rating.

"He's obviously not 100%," said Daigneault. "He didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what to expect. He hasn't done a full return to play protocol like he would if this was the regular season, and yet he just wants to do whatever he can to contribute. I give him a lot of credit to get himself out there. He's certainly not the reason we lost."

Williams declined to speak with reporters after the game.

San Antonio erupted for a 20-0 run in the third quarter to turn a competitive game into a blowout. Daigneault remained noncommittal about Williams' role in Game 7.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 to win Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and take a 3-2 series lead.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead the Thunder with 32 points and nine assists, though he committed six turnovers in the win.

"I always say we're a team out there," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "We don't get this far, I don't have this individual success, this team doesn't have the success without all 15 guys in the locker room."

Chet Holmgren finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Alex Caruso had 22 points and six assists. Making his first career playoff start, Jared McCain scored 18 out of his 20 points in the second half.

"He's played in the most big games on this team," Gilgeous-Alexander said of Caruso. "That experience you can't recreate or manufacture. AC isn't some uber-talented guy. ... But he's one of -- if not the best competitor in the NBA night in and night out. He wears that and he sets that tone for us as a group, and it's come full-fledged this series with guys out and him having to step up."

Stephon Castle lead the Spurs with 24 points. Victor Wembanyama had 20 points and six rebounds but shot just 4-of-15 from the field.

Wembanyama also shot 3-of-11 with Isaiah Hartenstein as his main defender.

"It's a team thing," Hartenstein said of his defense. "With any great player, you're not going to stop him with one player. So it's going in there, just making his looks hard, making sure he just doesn't get anything easy."

Game 6 of the series takes place on Thursday in San Antonio with the Spurs favored by 3.5 points. The Thunder are -450 favorites to win one of the next two games to advance to the Finals, giving them an 82 percent implied probability. 

The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final score of 130-93 in Game 4 to advance to the 2026 NBA Finals where they will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks will be making their first appearance in the Finals since 1999 when they lost to the Spurs in five games.

After a miraculous comeback in Game 1 as they overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Knicks controlled the rest of the series. The Knicks have now won 11 consecutive games dating back to their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jalen Brunson was unanimously named Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

"It means a lot [to lead the Knicks to Finals]," said Brunson. "I wouldn't be here without my teammates. The belief they've had in me. This coaching staff. This organization. This fan base. Without them none of this is possible."

After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games, the Knicks made the bold decision to part ways with Tom Thibodeau and eventually landed on Mike Brown as his replacement. After some inconsistencies during the regular season, the Knicks' stars are peaking at the same time.

After striking out on signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency in 2019, the Knicks pivoted by signing Julius Randle and helping him rehabilitate his career and become an All-NBA player. Randle led the Knicks back to the playoffs in 2021 and helped set the table for the arrival of Jalen Brunson in free agency in 2022. Brunson quickly became their franchise player and the rest of their starting five came via trades in Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and eventually Karl-Anthony Towns, which cost them both Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Game 1 of the Finals will take place on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Knicks are currently listed at +220 to win the NBA championship, which is an implied probability of 31 percent.

The New York Knicks came back from a 22-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jalen Brunson, who finished with 38 points, lead the Knicks on a 18-1 run in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 101 with 19 seconds left. The Knicks then opened overtime on a 9-0 run.

"Just keep fighting," Brunson said. "Keep chipping away. We're not going to get it back in one possession."

Mikal Bridges added 18 points, with Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby finishing with 13 points each.

Towns credited the Knicks' defense for the win.

"But it was our defense that has always been special in these playoffs and that has carried us in this playoffs, that showed up in the fourth quarter and in overtime," said Towns. "It allowed us to be sitting here with a win against a really great team."

Donovan Mitchell finished with 29 points. James Harden scored 15 points but had more turnovers (six) than field goals (five).

"That can't happen. But it did," Mitchell said. "We play in two days. We can't sit here and let it kill our momentum, kill what we've been doing. It's not a good loss."

The only larger fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the last 30 years was when the Clippers came back from down 24 points to beat the Grizzlies in 2012. The Cavaliers had a 99.9 percent win probability just under 8:00 minutes in the fourth quarter. 

Game 2 takes place on Thursday with the Knicks favored by 6.5 points. At -425, the Knicks have an 81 percent implied probability of reaching their first Finals since 1999.

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals with a 139-109 dismantling of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6 on Friday. Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper combined to match franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama's impact, collectively accounting for nearly half of San Antonio's output in one of the highest-scoring playoff performances in team history.

Castle led all scorers with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Fox contributed 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and Harper added 15 points on 6-of-8. San Antonio's final tally ranked third in franchise playoff history.

The Spurs open the Western Conference finals Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. The Thunder are favored by 6.5 points to open the series and are -260 favorites (73 percent implied probability) to advance to the Finals.

"What we're walking into on Monday is a different animal," said Harper. "The experience is great for all of us. But we've just got to have the mindset of we're going to keep the foot on the gas no matter what."

The backcourt trio shot a combined 23-of-30 from the field and 9-of-12 from three-point range through three quarters, producing 58.2% of San Antonio's scoring in that span. The group contributed nine of the Spurs' postseason-record 18 three-pointers on the night.

Wembanyama finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three blocks. He joined former Spur David Robinson as the only players with at least 200 points, 100 rebounds and 40 blocks through their first 10 career postseason games since blocks were first recorded in 1974.

Wembanyama was direct in his praise of Castle, whose five three-pointers set a career high across both the regular season and playoffs.

"The way this team is built, they were trying to take me away from the rim and just grab me," said Wembanyama. "There's no other way to fight that than just fight it with physicality. [Castle] was amazing. Just the composure to make the late choice and to push the defense in as far as they can go to take care of our strengths, he was great. He shot the ball when he should have, made the shots, and passed when he should've passed it."

Castle became the fifth Spur in franchise history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a clinching game, joining Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Robinson and George Gervin. Fox became the first Spur since Kawhi Leonard in 2017 to score 20 or more points on 80% shooting in a postseason game.

San Antonio reaches the conference finals for the first time since 2017 and the 15th time overall.

"Having guys who are this talented and have watched me throughout my career, then we get to be in the same locker room, get to be on the court together, it's something that I love," said Fox. "I want them to feel that success from as early as you can get it in your career because you never know when those things can come back around.

"[I] just give them little tidbits that they can get here or there because they're just so talented. Just giving them a cheat sheet to kind of maneuver throughout the league. I try to add what I can to what they can already do. They can already do a lot of things."

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Cavs were down 103-94 in the fourth quarter before scoring nine straight points to force overtime. 

It was also the first Cavs' road win of the playoffs.

"That stretch right there says a lot about our progress," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "[Our] mental toughness progress ... these guys, they never get down."

The Pistons had a 96.8% chance to win the game when they were up nine, according to ESPN analytics.

James Harden lead the Cavs with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, with Donovan Mitchell adding 21 points. Max Strus scored 20 points off the bench.

Cade Cunningham scored 39 points for the Pistons. Replacing Duncan Robinson in the starting lineup, Daniss Jenkins added 19 points.

Donovan Mitchell said that the Cavs needed to keep their composure ahead of Friday's Game 6.

"The biggest thing is just not get too high, get too low," said Mitchell. "At the end of the day, it's 3-2. The series is not over by any means. It was great to get one on the road. Yay, whoop-de-do. But we got to protect home court."

The Cavaliers are 3.5 point favorites in Game 6 back in Cleveland on Friday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers with a 115-110 comeback victory in Game 4 on Monday, improving to 8-0 this postseason and becoming the fourth defending champion to open the playoffs with at least eight straight wins. The Thunder scored 120.1 points per 100 possessions in the game. Oklahoma City has scored better than 120 points per 100 possessions in all but one of their eight wins during this playoff run.

Oklahoma City's average margin of victory stands at 16.6 points, the fifth largest through eight games in the conference finals era dating to 1983-84. The last defending champion to match the feat was LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, per ESPN Research.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a series-best 35 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of the injured Jalen Williams, posted a playoff career-high 28 points. Chet Holmgren contributed 16 points, going 4-of-4 in the final period, including a decisive dunk with 33 seconds remaining that gave Oklahoma City the lead for good.

The Thunder had not trailed in the fourth quarter this postseason until Monday, when Los Angeles led by five with 8:37 left. Gilgeous-Alexander re-entered more than two minutes ahead of schedule and orchestrated the decisive run.

The Lakers schemed aggressively to contain Gilgeous-Alexander, double-teaming him more than in any prior playoff series of his career, per coach Mark Daigneault. The strategy held him to 21.0 points per game through the first three contests, well below his regular-season average.

"Hats off to my teammates," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that.

"We've done our job so far. That's all it really means," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Nothing's guaranteed. In the playoffs, no two games are the same. Everything that we've done so far is behind us. We still haven't reached our goal."

The Thunder are -180 favorites to win the NBA championship ahead of the San Antonio Spurs at +375 and New York Knicks at +600.

The New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season Sunday, sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers with a record-setting 144-114 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena. New York has outscored opponents by 19.4 points per game this postseason, the largest differential by any team entering the conference finals since the NBA expanded to 16 playoff teams in 1983-84.

The Knicks made 11 three-pointers in the opening quarter, an NBA postseason record, and 18 in the first half, tying the all-time single-game high for any half in league history. Their 144 points represent a franchise playoff record.

Unlike the emotional series win over the Boston Celtics last season in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the mood in the visitor's locker room was notably measured.

"No relief, no jubilation. Just another step in the process," forward Josh Hart said. "Here, it's business as normal, and we gotta make sure we're locked in and focused."

Hart also took aim at the home crowd, which was largely taken over by visiting Knicks supporters. Hart, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges played collegiately in Philadelphia for Villanova.

"I used to think Philly was a sports town. I don't know if it is anymore," he said. "It never felt like a road game."

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey acknowledged the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"It absolutely sucks," he said. "It felt louder in here for them than it did in the Garden."

Brunson scored 22 points, including six three-pointers, averaging 29 points for the series. Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 7.5 assists from the center position across the four games despite persistent foul trouble.

Miles McBride started in place of the injured OG Anunoby and hit seven three-pointers, including three straight during the record-setting first quarter. The Knicks will await the winner of the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers series, giving Anunoby additional time to recover from a right hamstring strain.

"Our expectations are a championship, nothing less," McBride said.

Ajay Mitchell delivered the best performance of his young career Saturday, scoring 24 points and dishing out 10 assists without a turnover as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 in Game 3. The victory pushed Oklahoma City to the brink of a second consecutive sweep despite an ordinary series from reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Mitchell, 23, is averaging 20.7 points, 6.7 assists and just 1.0 turnover per game while shooting 53.3 percent in the three wins. He has started in place of Jalen Williams, who is recovering from a left hamstring strain suffered in the first round against the Phoenix Suns.

"We all know on the team that he's good," Williams told ESPN. "And now the world is kind of finding out."

In Game 3, Mitchell joined Magic Johnson, Chris Paul and Tyrese Haliburton as the only players since 1990 to record at least 20 points, 10 assists and three steals without a turnover in a playoff game.

Mitchell also held Austin Reaves to 5-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-7 as his primary defender.

"Reaves is obviously an incredibly tough cover and he's made him earn everything," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.

The Lakers have now lost three consecutive playoff games by at least 15 points for the first time in franchise history, despite holding Gilgeous-Alexander to 21.0 points per game, more than 10 below his season average.

"The MVP is held to 18, 22, 7-of-20 tonight, and they've kicked our ass three straight games," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. "They're an incredible basketball team."

Oklahoma City has outscored opponents by 128 points through seven postseason games, the best mark by a defending NBA champion in league history.

The Thunder are 10.5 point favorites ahead of Game 4 on Monday.