Victor Wembanyama misses a jumper in the final seconds as the Knicks hold on to take a 2-0 series lead in The Finals.
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SAN ANTONIO — When the ball left Victor Wembanyama’s fingertips in the final second and arched toward the basket, the balance of the 2026 NBA Finals hung in the air as well:
A) He makes it, the series is tied, the San Antonio Spurs feel a sense of relief and Wembanyama some redemption.
B) He misses, the Knicks head to New York with a 2-0 lead and the heart is ripped out of the heart of Texas.
Wembanyama had a clean look from 20 feet in this incredibly tense and important moment, but the shot treated him so dirty. The one-point lead remained. The Knicks won, 105-104.
“He’s made that shot a thousand times,” said teammate Stephon Castle. “I’ll take that shot every day.”
Well, just not this day. At least the result. When it missed and the Game 2 buzzer sounded, the look of dejection dominated Wembanyama’s expression and the cold, hard truth smacked him and the Spurs in the cheek.
The Knicks, halfway toward the championship goal, are ruling this series.
It is not a simple task, to snatch two road games at the start of the Finals. That has only happened just twice before, and in those instances, the 1993 Bulls and 1995 Rockets won the title. Taking two on the road to open the series is a virtual championship ticket-stamp.
Check out some of the best moments from the Knicks’ 13-game postseason winning streak.
Not only that, but the Knicks are in flames. It’s now 13 straight victories in the postseason, and even the most superstitious fan in New York will accept this reality, embrace it even.
Such is the state of this series, lopsided both in terms of the count and especially the perception. Such is the luxury the Knicks find themselves in, thanks to their hard work the last few days in San Antonio. Such is the crater the Spurs are trapped inside and must deal with as they attempt to play the next two games inside a Gotham City that has starved for a champion for 53 years.
Are the 2025-26 Knicks one of the greatest postseason teams in NBA history? They’ll tell us over the next few games.
Here are the takeaways from the Knicks’ one-point — phew — Game 2 victory:
1. Spurs lack the finishing touch
Basketball at this stage is often played with razor-thin margins, especially and particularly in the fourth quarter. A missed shot here, a key steal there, an interrupted run here and there can make all the difference between winning and losing.
For two fourth quarters in this series, the Spurs failed to close out. That’s really the summary of the series so far. That’s why the Knicks are up 2-0. In the first game, the Spurs went chilly and Jalen Brunson went nuts. And the fourth quarter in Game 2 was even more painful.
That’s because an incredible run — 14-0 to tie the game, the most impressive stretch by the Spurs in the Finals to this point — was wasted, all because they couldn’t wrap it up.
Aside from Wembanyama’s missed game-winning attempt, there was this self-inflicted wound: His miscommunicated pass.
After securing a defensive rebound, Wembanyama inexplicably threw up-court to Castle, the Spurs’ guard, whose back was turned — Castle falsely assumed Wembanyama would simply bring the ball up himself.
The loose ball was scooped by Brunson, who was fouled with nine seconds left. He broke the tie game with one make, setting up the game’s final play.
Had Wembanyama not thrown the pass, or had the Spurs called timeout to set up a final play, they would’ve had a chance to win late or in overtime.
Of course, the Spurs put themselves in the position of needing a big run because they were outplayed by the Knicks from late first quarter until that point.
“We can’t change the past now,” said Wembanyama, taking ownership. “We’re already focused on Game 3.”
These are painful lessons being learned by the young Spurs — potentially championship-costing lessons.
2. Best big man is Big KAT
Karl-Anthony Towns delivers a 21-point, 13-rebound, 4-assist showing in the Knicks’ Game 2 win.
To be fair, Wembanyama made amends for a poor start with a furious fourth quarter, save for the turnover and missed last-second shot. But all told, this big-man contest was controlled by Karl-Anthony Towns when it counted.
He was the aggressor, the smarter player, certainly the more physical. His only issue was developing foul trouble, then getting frozen out by his teammates in the fourth quarter, when he rarely touched the ball. Otherwise, KAT — 21 points and 13 rebounds — was all that.
He flourished when the Spurs assigned a small man to guard him and also when Wembanyama checked him. The Spurs still haven’t cracked the code after two games.
“I think he’s made some shots and he’s a really good player,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “He played two good games. We have to make it tougher on him. We’ve had some coverage breakdowns. Just keep trying to make great players work for everything they get.”
As for Wembanyama, by comparison, he did score 22 of his 29 points in the second half — an improvement over two nights earlier when he weakened down the stretch. This was not a poor night; this was a night where, had his final shot fallen, would’ve reflected very well on him.
But Towns, at the very least, has the edge on Wembanyama through two games, and the Knicks will take that ratio anytime.
3. Strategic about-face — Spurs finish with Harper
Johnson had a change of heart, and strategy, regarding Dylan Harper. In Game 1, Harper sat for all but four minutes in the fourth quarter, when the Knicks made a comeback. In Game 2, Harper was on the floor during all of the moments of truth.
And he made key plays in the final minutes, none better than his bucket (via goaltend), followed by a steal and feed to Wembanyama for a three-point play.
Harper is just a rookie but plays with such wisdom and confidence. He isn’t afraid of the moment, and evidently Johnson conceded as much. Just as he did in Game 1, Harper finished with double-figure scoring (15 points) and commanded 32 minutes off the bench.
But the end result was the same, two games straight, with or without something from Harper in the closing moments.
“I feel like we haven’t played our best brand of basketball these past two games,” he said. “We’re going to stay together as a team and things are going to switch.”
4. The X-factors, and the ex-factors
Game Recap: Knicks 105, Spurs 104
The Knicks defeated the Spurs, 105-104, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-0 series lead.
Here are others who impacted Game 2, one way or another, with a play or performance:
Mikal Bridges, Knicks
Remember when Bridges struggled in the first round and was dropped in the rotation against the Hawks? So, so long ago, much like the last time the Knicks dropped a postseason game. His 20 points in Game 2 were much-needed on a night when Brunson (7-for-25) struggled with efficiency (though Brunson did tie the game at 104).
OG Anunoby, Knicks
He muscled in a two-handed dunk while being challenged at the rim by Wembanyama late in the fourth quarter to toss ice water on the Spurs’ run.
Mitchell Robinson, Knicks
The backup center with the repaired hand was assigned to guard Wembanyama on a pair of possessions in the final minute and came away satisfied.
Keldon Johnson, Spurs
The 2026 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year remains mostly invisible. Johnson shot just 1-for-4 in Game 1, then followed up Friday with another 1-for-4. He has six points — total. He averaged 13.2 points (52% shooting) and five rebounds and was so impactful during the regular season.
De’Aaron Fox, Spurs
He’s probably not 100%, yet for the first several minutes of Game 2 looked impressive — quite the contrast to his last few games of the post-season. He also threw a solid pass to Wembanyama on the screen-and-roll in the final second to set up the Spurs center for a clean look. Fox finished with 20 points; only the second time in his last five games he’s hit double-figures.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at [email protected], find his archive here and follow him on X.
