Brunson Drops 45 as Knicks Escape San Antonio 94-90
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points to drag the New York Knicks past the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on June 14. Without him, this game isn't close — it isn't even a game.
San Antonio came out swinging. Victor Wembanyama opened the scoring with a 1-foot running dunk off a Stephon Castle feed, and the Spurs proceeded to build a lead that looked genuinely dangerous. Dylan Harper scored 11 first-quarter points, Wembanyama added a tip-in dunk and a pair of free throws, and by the time Keldon Johnson buried a three at the 3:06 mark of the first, San Antonio led 18-8. Brunson kept New York breathing — an 11-foot step back, then a 27-footer with a minute left — but Julian Champagnie hit a buzzer-beating three to send the Spurs into the second quarter up 23-13. The hole was real.
The second quarter is where the story of the night took shape. San Antonio pushed the lead to 31-13 before New York started chipping. Brunson went on a personal tear — a 26-foot three, a 10-foot pullup, a 20-foot jumper — rattling off 8 straight Knicks points to cut the deficit to 35-28. Mikal Bridges hit back-to-back threes, Josh Hart converted a flagrant foul into three points, and suddenly a game that felt like a blowout was 42-37 at the half. The Spurs answered every run, but New York refused to go away, and that stubbornness looks like the defining trait of this Knicks group.
The fourth quarter is where Brunson took over completely. With San Antonio's home win probability sitting at 47% — a genuine coin flip — Brunson made an 11-foot driving floating jump shot with 1:05 remaining that swung the home win probability from 47% to 38%, a 9-point shift that effectively broke the Spurs' back. Wembanyama finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks — a monster line that deserved better — and Harper's 25 points and 4 assists gave San Antonio every chance. But 45 points from one player is a different kind of problem. Josh Hart added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Bridges chipped in 14 points and 4 assists, and the Knicks' collective toughness made the difference in a four-point game that felt much closer than the final score suggests. Brunson didn't just carry New York — he willed them across the finish line.