A pivotal part of the Knicks’ pulling off a surprising 105-95 win against the Spurs on the road in Game 1 of the NBA Finals was stopping Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs’ best player, although he had a 26-point double-double in the matchup, did not have a very efficient night from the floor.
He finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal to stuff the box score. But he shot poorly in the game, going 6-21 from the field (28.6 FG%) and 2-9 from beyond the arc (22.2 3P%).
Jalen Brunson, who led the Knicks in scoring last night, spoke to Mallika Andrews of ESPN today and explained how Karl-Anthony Towns had the entire Knicks team behind him as he played a crucial role in holding Wembanyama to an inefficient night.
“I think KAT did a great job, showing hands. Just trying to make everything as difficult as possible. I said this before about him. He’s obviously an incredible talent, but being able to guard him, not just KAT, but everybody behind him.”
“And KAT has the trust that we’re going to try and help him. You know, it’s going to be a tough task, but he did a great job, and it’s something that we’re going to need from him for us to win,” Brunson said.
Towns finished the game with 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, one block, and a +14 plus-minus rating for the game, where he shot 7-15 from the floor (46.7 FG%).
Defensive footage shows that Karl-Anthony Towns did a solid job at holding Wembanyama as a scoring threat. A video also went viral during the game that shows Town emphasizing the importance of defense to his teammates in the huddle during the game.
“Gotta keep playing defense…our offense will catch up…it always does”
–– KAT mic’d up pic.twitter.com/hrKve7CNWQ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 4, 2026
Defense is crucial to win any championship, but guarding Victor Wembanyama on the floor is a mammoth task in itself. Brunson himself struggled in Game 1 initially due to his injury scare during the game, but found his rhythm in the most crucial part of the game to deliver 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Additionally, he finished with three rebounds and two assists while going 12-31 from the floor (38.7 FG%) and 2-9 from beyond the arc (22.2 3P%). Brunson also spoke about Wembanyama and described what it was like to face his towering presence on the floor.
“You’ve got to be aware at all times. [Wembanyama] just being around the paint makes you think. I can’t explain it. It’s just something that you always have to be constantly aware of where he is on the floor at all times.”
“Sometimes you can’t see the rim, so you’ve got to look somewhere else,” Brunson hilariously added.
There’s a reason why Victor Wembanyama is playing with the confidence he is in right, and he even claimed after the game that he was not worried despite the loss. It’s because he knows that his presence alone makes a lot of impact on his opposition’s game plans, to the point that one could argue there’s a sense of fear among his opponents due to his presence inside the paint.
The Knicks were able to hold Wembanyama to 26 points in Game 1. But we all know he is capable of dropping 40 points under immense pressure as well, as he did on the road in Game 1 against the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
Will the Knicks be able to replicate their Game 1 efforts in Game 2 tomorrow night? Or will the Spurs rally back to tie the series? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
