The Spurs are expected to bounce back in Game 2 against the Knicks after blowing the lead in the first game of the series.

I think a lot of people admire Spurs because there is a giant on the field. On the other hand he is one of the shortest guys in the league. Both are superstars, and both delivered to some degree Wednesday night in the series opener. If you want to give me a little credit, I’ll take it too, because I hit the Knicks cover, and I hit the bottom. Let’s try and do it.

If you want to go back to the NBA Cup, this game was very similar. The Spurs were the better team for three quarters of that game, then the Knicks destroyed them late in the game. If San Antonio’s legs are tired from playing seven games against the Thunder, don’t expect them to get fresh here. If they were young and didn’t realize they needed to close the game, that would be an easy fix to make.

The problem is that when Jalen Brunson gets going, there are very few things you can do to stop him. I’ve said before that I don’t think he’s as good as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and he might make me eat my words if he continues to make shots like he did in the final two minutes of Game 1. The first half was all Spurs, which makes sense — the energy of the crowd at a home game, and when your fatigue sets in after every game, the second half is where it hits.

The second half is where the Knicks hit. They were down by 14 at one point in the fourth quarter when New York decided enough was enough. They kicked it into gear and won the team by seven points, tying them for fourth. To open that quarter, OG Anunoby came alive. He hit eight in a row against the Knicks with Brunson sitting on the bench. Then Brunson came back and took over, scoring 11 straight for the Knicks and 13 in the quarter.

NBA FINAL BETTING GUIDE: WHY JALEN BRUNSON +140 IS THE LEADERS OF THE SERIES

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson goes up for a shot against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images))

The Spurs took the lead with two minutes left, but Brunson’s three led to an 11-0 run to close the game. So what changes can be made for Spurs to win here? They shot badly and with two minutes left they were 1-0 in the series. They shot 36% overall and 26% from deep. Kudos to the Knicks defense, but the Spurs should shoot better here. They have won the war of repetition, but they have lost the war of profits.

I expect the team to look for other ways to force the Knicks to help and play against Victor Wembanyama. See if they will throw paint at him instead of him agreeing to be shot outside. He was 3-for-10 from deep and 4-for-9 from the paint. He wasn’t working very well, but he was still working well. The same can be said for Brunson. At some point, I fully expect the Spurs to use an “anyone but him” approach to scoring for the Knicks.

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San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama reacts after scoring a basket in the first half of an NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets in San Antonio on Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by Darren Abate/AP)

If that means letting guys open threes, the Spurs will let it happen. I’m taking Spurs tonight because I’m expecting a back-to-back game. The Knicks are locked in, but the Spurs know they have to win this game, and I think they weren’t that far from winning the game. Call it zigzag, call it whatever you want, but I’ll back Spurs -5.5 here. I also think the game continues as the teams will be a little more comfortable on offense after getting to know each other in Game 1.

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