The New York Knicks dethroned the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 after erasing a 14-point second-half deficit to steal Game 1 in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds, and OG Anunoby added 17 to win 12 straight playoff games.
The Knicks became the seventh team to have such a streak in NBA history, and is the third to do it in a single season.
Brunson had 13 in the fourth, only six fewer than the Spurs managed as a team in that quarter and sealed it with a spinning jumper while falling to the court with 38 seconds left.
New York finished an 11-0 run, and also became the first team to beat the Spurs in Game 1 of the title series, as they were 6-0 so far.
On the other hand, Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 26 points and 12 boards, but shot 6 for 21 from the field in his finals debut.
Stephon Castle had 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each had 16.
In playoff winning steaks, the Warriors won 15 straight games in the 2017 playoffs on its way to the title, while the Spurs won 12 straight in 1999 on its way to the title.
New York led 14-7 early, but the Spurs answered with a 20-13 run to go up by 10, and rallied the second quarter with sex lead changes before San Antonio took the lead 55-48 into the break.
The Spurs pushed the lead to 14 midway through the third before they stormed back, finishing the period on a 22-9 run and sending the game into the fourth at 76 all.
The Knicks managed to have an eight-point lead in the fourth, and San Antonio went on a burst with Wembanyama making two free throws with 2;16 left to put them up 95-94, but followed by an answer corner triple by Brunson.
Game 2 is Friday in San Antonio.
