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SAN ANTONIO — <\/span>The New York Knicks’ winning streak lives on, and they struck first in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the finals on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n OG Anunoby had 17 points for New York \u2014 which has won 12 consecutive playoff games, the seventh team to have such a streak in NBA history, and is the third to do it in a single season. Brunson scored 13 points in the fourth, only six fewer than San Antonio managed as a team in that quarter, and sealed it with a spinning jumper<\/a> while falling to the court with 38 seconds left.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s a gamer, man,\u201d Knicks coach Mike Brown said. \u201cIn the biggest moments, he shows up. That’s what MVPs are supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n And the Knicks, who finished on an 11-0 run, made a little more history. They became the first team to beat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the title series \u2014 the Spurs were 6-0 in those \u2014 and this is also the first time the Spurs have trailed a finals before the finish.<\/p>\n As far as single-season playoff winning streaks \u2014 Golden State won 15 straight games in the 2017 postseason on its way to the title. San Antonio won 12 straight in 1999 on its way to the title. And now New York has won 12 in a row, with its title status to be determined.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we know what we have to do,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cI think we’re a pretty together group.\u201d<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but he shot 6 for 21 from the field in his finals debut. Stephon Castle scored 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each had 16 for San Antonio.<\/p>\n \u201cI was bad tonight,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cIt’s not more complicated than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Game 2 is Friday in San Antonio.<\/p>\n Former San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was at the game, as he\u2019s been for every finals game in Spurs history, albeit watching from a suite and not stomping the San Antonio sideline. The Spurs legends \u2014 David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and more \u2014 were there, too.<\/p>\n So were Knicks great Patrick Ewing and the world\u2019s most recognizable New York fans: Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and more. Plenty of non-celeb Knicks fans made the trip as well; Tommy Sherlock, a auto sales manager from Brooklyn, said it cost less for two Game 1 tickets in San Antonio, with hotel and airfare, than Game 3 tickets in New York would have set him back.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst-class air, too,\u201d Sherlock said. \u201cBy a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n The Knicks led 14-7 early, the Spurs answered with a 20-13 run to go up by 10, the Knicks rallied and the second quarter saw six lead changes before San Antonio took a 55-48 lead into the break.<\/p>\n San Antonio pushed the lead to 14 midway through the third quarter before the Knicks stormed back, finishing the period on a 22-9 run and sending the game into the fourth tied at 76.<\/p>\n New York’s lead was eight midway through the final period. Wembanyama made a pair of free throws with 2:16 left to put San Antonio up 95-94, but Brunson made a corner 3 on the next possession to put the Knicks on top for good.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we let that one go,\u201d Wembanyama said.<\/p>\n San Antonio’s run of never trailing the finals had some close calls over the years. The Spurs were tied twice with New Jersey in 2003 finals, tied with Detroit twice in 2005, tied with Miami three times in 2013 \u2014 they lost that series in seven games, so they only trailed when it was over \u2014 and then were tied with the Heat once more in 2014.<\/p>\n It’s only 1-0. But the Knicks are only three wins away from their first title in 53 years, and they just took home-court advantage away from San Antonio.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a long way to go,\u201d Brunson said.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n