It took less than two minutes for the 2026 NBA Finals to take a dramatic turn at Madison Square Garden. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two early fouls on back-to-back possessions, forcing New York’s coaching staff to bench their star big man before the game had barely begun.
The Spurs made them pay immediately. San Antonio shot 65 percent from the field in the first quarter, turned the ball over zero times, and outscored a stunned New York squad to take a 19-point lead into the second. By halftime, the Spurs led 76-49, a 27-point cushion that left the Garden crowd in shocked silence.
The officiating became its own storyline. Knicks fans fumed over what appeared to be a missed goaltend on Spurs center Luke Kornet and a questionable out-of-bounds call that went San Antonio’s way. Mitchell Robinson added fuel to the fire when he was hit with a flagrant-1 foul for catching Wembanyama with a forearm to the head, an irony not lost on a fanbase still stewing over a no-call on Wemby in Game 3.
Still, the fouls alone did not sink New York. The Knicks shot just 29 percent in the first quarter and could not generate any clean looks while San Antonio hit everything in sight.
With the series now 2-1 in New York’s favor, the Spurs have announced loud and clear that this Finals is far from over.
