The New York Knicks had no business winning Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals. They had already stolen home-court advantage from the San Antonio Spurs with a road win in Game 1, so they would have been forgiven a letdown two nights later.
History suggested they would lose, likely by double digits: Entering this series, road teams that won Game 1 of the Finals were just 2-16 in the ensuing Game 2, with an average minus-11.3 scoring margin. And the Spurs had responded to a Game 1 defeat at home in the second round, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a 38-point blowout win in Game 2.
But that's not what transpired in San Antonio on Friday night. Instead, the Knicks survived a late-game collapse with a 105-104 victory, extending their win streak to 13 games and bringing them just two wins away from a long-awaited championship.
Quick links: Game 1 lessons, top plays | Takeaways Schedule | Bracket | Playoff coverage
The most important plays of Game 2
Game 2's thrilling finish means we have to start at the end.
Exactly halfway through the fourth quarter, the Knicks led by 14 points following an OG Anunoby dunk against Victor Wembanyama, and a 2-0 series lead seemed all but assured. At that moment, according to ESPN Analytics, New York had a 98.2% chance to win the game.
But the Spurs came back in a flurry. Led primarily by the left-handed backcourt duo of Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox, the Spurs scored 14 consecutive points to tie the score and set up a hectic final few minutes.
That's when Wembyanama took center stage for San Antonio -- both for good and for ill.
On the positive side, the 22-year-old superstar scored repeatedly around the basket. During San Antonio's 14-0 run, he used a nifty post move to kiss a lefty layup off the glass. And in the final minutes, he both converted an alley-oop dunk and scored an and-1 layup after running the floor in transition, giving the Spurs their first lead of the second half.
But Wembanyama struggled farther out from the basket. He was 0-for-3 on jump shots in the clutch, first air-balling an out-of-control step-back 3-pointer...
pic.twitter.com/27mRNwbJpv
... then clanking a midrange jumper that would have given San Antonio the lead in the final minute...
pic.twitter.com/KjPk0m3evH
... and, finally, missing a would-be winner on the final shot of the game.