Knicks Take 2-0 Finals Lead With Thrilling 105-104 Escape in San Antonio

New York is two wins away from its first NBA championship since 1973, after surviving a gut-wrenching 105-104 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson hit the go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left following a critical Victor Wembanyama turnover, and Wembanyama's last-second jumper bounced off the rim to seal the Knicks' narrow escape.

The win extended New York's playoff winning streak to 13 straight — the second-longest in NBA postseason history — and made the Knicks only the third team ever to take the first two Finals games on the road. The only other squads to pull that off were Michael Jordan's 1993 Chicago Bulls and Hakeem Olajuwon's 1995 Houston Rockets, and both went on to win the title.

Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Brunson and Mikal Bridges each added 20. Brunson's heroics came despite a rough shooting night — his decisive basket was just his seventh made shot in 24 attempts. For San Antonio, Wembanyama woke up in the second half to finish with 29 points after a nearly invisible first half, and De'Aaron Fox contributed 20. The Spurs mounted a stunning 14-0 run to erase a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and briefly took a 104-102 lead on a Wembanyama three-point play with 57 seconds left, before the Knicks' clutch execution in the final moments extinguished the comeback.

The series now shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Monday night, where the atmosphere promises to be electric. President Donald Trump has announced plans to attend, and secondary-market tickets for the worst seats in the building were already approaching $9,000 apiece on Friday — a reflection of just how desperately New York fans want to witness history after a 52-year championship drought.