Overview
- The Knicks, who trailed by 22 in the fourth, won 115-104 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday as Jalen Brunson scored 38.
- San Antonio opened the West on Monday with a 122-115 double-overtime win in Oklahoma City, powered by Victor Wembanyama’s 41 points and 24 rebounds, and handed the Thunder their first loss of this postseason.
- NBA tracking data showed Oklahoma City shot 35.5% in the paint with Wembanyama on the floor, underscoring how his rim protection shaped Game 1.
- Spurs rookie Dylan Harper added 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals, a rare 20-10-5-5 line last seen in a conference finals game by Larry Bird, with Julius Erving the only other player to do it.
- Both conference-finals openers went to overtime for the first time on record, sharpening focus on the Knicks’ rest edge versus a Cavaliers team coming off two seven-game series.