The San Antonio Spurs had a chance to win the game, but bungled it in the final second of Game 2 against the New York Knicks.
The San Antonio Spurs lost in front of their home crowd in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, 105-104. The Knicks have a commanding 2-0 lead as both teams prepare to travel to New York for Game 3 on Monday night.
The entire Spurs' roster, sans Victor Wembanyama, got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 12-point lead before the Knicks got back on top in the closing seconds of the first half. Unlike in Game 1, De'Aaron Fox was a positive factor for the Spurs, finishing with 20 points and five assists after only posting seven points in Game 1.
Wembanyama managed to overcome his slow start, finishing with 29 points after only posting seven points in the first half. It wasn't enough to withstand New York's barrage.
Spurs Lose Slugfest vs. Knicks
With multiple technicals and flagarants called, this was an old-school battle. In the first half, Mitchell Robinson was called for a tech on Wembanyama, shoving him before an inbound pass. Even the most diehard Spurs fans would admit that it was a soft call, but the aggression quickly got ramped up.
"This is a rare statement, but I believe there's too much physicality right now," said Richard Jefferson on the broadcast, with 8:20 left.
While the Spurs were able to use their physicality to slow down Jalen Brunson--holding him to only 20 points--Miles Bridges in particular was able to rise up and propel the Knicks, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from deep.
The Spurs also allowed New York to dominate the offensive rebounds, with the Knicks grabbing 10 compared to the Spurs' five. On the other end of the floor, the Spurs were able to draw contact and get to the free throw line, but it was no match for the Knicks' scoring prowess.
In addition to solid scoring outings from Wemby and Fox, Stephon Castle added 14 points and played excellent defense, although the rest of the supporting cast was lacking.
In the final seconds, Jalen Brunson missed a free throw to put the Knicks up two. Wembanyama grabbed the rebound, but threw a pass off Castle's back, giving the Knicks the ball back and the win.
During halftime, Wembanyama was chastized by Charles Barkley for being too passive, especially against Karl-Anthony Towns, although he came out hot on the court and in the huddles in the second half. That's the version of Wembanyama the Spurs will need if they want to take control of the series.
Expect the Spurs to play with desperation in Game 3 in New York. That's their only chance to win.
