Knicks rally from 14-point deficit to win Game 1 of NBA Finals 105-95

The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday after overcoming a 14-point deficit. Karl-Anthony Towns told teammates during the game to maintain defensive intensity. "We gotta keep playing defense this way.

This will win us the game," he said. "Our offense will always catch up. It did in Game 1 in Cleveland. " The Knicks trailed by as much as 14 points before completing the comeback. According to ESPN Analytics, their win probability dropped to 7.4 percent at one point during the contest.

Towns finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes. The Knicks outscored the Spurs by 11 points while he was on the court. He added 10 points, including two three-pointers, four rebounds and one block in the third quarter as New York began its rally.

After the game, Towns said he felt "a calm and a peace" during the contest. He attributed the feeling to his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who died in April 2020. "In a way I felt like I was seeing her in the stands," he said. Towns has reached the NBA Finals for the first time after his team advanced past the conference finals in each of the previous two seasons.