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Editor's Note: Click here for a recap and highlights from Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.It’s a bad night to be a broom in New York City.The New York Knicks, once again, outplayed the San Antonio Spurs Friday, June 5 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, taking a commanding 2-0 lead as the series turns to New York.New York, which withstood a late charge from San Antonio, stunned the Spurs on their own home, 105-104, on a free throw by Jalen Brunson with 9.5 seconds left to play to win the game.Brunson got to the line on a bad pass from Victor Wembanyama in the final seconds of the game, as the Spurs were trying to get up the floor on a defensive rebound. Wembanyama tossed a pass ahead, but Stephon Castle wasn’t looking, so the ball bounced off his back, allowing Brunson to scoop it up. Wembanyama then fouled Brunson, putting him on the line.Later on, the Spurs had the chance to win the game, but Wembanyama’s would-be game-winning jumpshot rimmed out.So now, with Madison Square Garden set to host the the next two games, the Knicks are just a pair of wins away from a sweep and from claiming their first NBA championship in 53 years.New York has won 13 consecutive playoff games, including eight consecutive on the road.Here are live takeaways from Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs:NBA Finals Game 2 score: Knicks 105, Spurs 104TEAM1234FKnicks25312821105Spurs34182329104Karl-Anthony Towns, once again, was the best player on the floor. It’s going to guide New York to a titleJust like he was in Game 1, Karl-Anthony Towns lifted the Knicks on both ends of the floor. And with the Knicks now carrying their 2-0 lead, his dominance over Wembanyama across stretches has New York close to erasing its 53-year title drought.His offense has been stellar. Towns led the Knicks with 21 points — 17 of which came in the first half — on 8-of-12 shooting, adding 13 rebounds and 4 assists.Towns stretched the floor, opening up the space for his teammates to attack.But it’s his defense that is going to get the Knicks their first title in 53 seasons — as long as New York keeps this up.Towns has been dominant on Wembanyama, using his size and strength to body Wembanyama and make him feel Towns’ presence. In the first half, Wembanyama played timidly, apparently perplexed about how to break through Towns’ physicality. Frankly, it’s determining the outcome of the series.At the half, Wembanyama had just 7 points on only 4 shot attempts. Wembanyama did drop 22 in the second half, but the early struggles put San Antonio in a hole.And while Mitchell Robinson also had massive defensive possessions against Wembanyama late in the game, Towns is the reason Wembanyama looked lost early in the game.Early on, Victor Wembanyama took what the defense gave him. He needed to be far more assertive — far earlierAt the half, after the Knicks had made several runs, Wembanyama had taken just four shot attempts. New York, of course, deserves credit for showing bodies any time Wembanyama touched the ball, but his response, mostly, was to drift around the perimeter.He tried to drive and create opportunities for his teammates, but that led to two turnovers. During one of those, late in the second quarter, Devin Vassell passed him the ball on the right wing. Almost immediately after he saw the Knicks defense approaching, Wembanyama tried to dump the ball back to Vassell, who had started to relocate. The ball skipped out of bounds.In short: Wembanyama was just out of rhythm in the first half.It’s often difficult, when opponents are game planning for a single player, for that person to find the balance between taking a steady diet of shots but not forcing them.Spurs coach Mitch Johnson will also need to find ways to manufacture easier offense for Wembanyama, because having him standing around, watching other players operate will make it difficult for the Spurs to win.Wembanyama did pick it up in the third quarter, taking 8 shot attempts and scoring 12 points in the period, but the slow start put San Antonio in a position where they need to play from behind.Mikal Bridges had the role playing impact that wins championshipsNot only is he one of the toughest defenders in the NBA with his length and shiftiness, but Bridges has been on a generational heater this postseason — at least after he struggled early in the first round.Bridges entered the fourth quarter 8-of-9 — having made eight consecutive shots — and finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. He hit his first 4 3-pointers of the game and hit timely basket after timely basket.Having another potent scorer on the floor mitigated the tough shooting night from Jalen Brunson, who shot just 7-of-25 from the floor.Desperate Spurs ramped up their defensive intensityThe natural response was always going to be for San Antonio to play with a different level of urgency in Game 2. The Spurs, from the very first seconds of the game, played with a level of force and physicality they didn’t have two nights ago.For one, San Antonio’s speedy and aggressive guards De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle picked up full-court pressure on made baskets. Once the ball crossed half court, the Spurs also stayed in front of New York’s players with lateral quickness.Then, once the Knicks tried to foray into the paint, Spurs defenders collapsed to show bodies and clog the area.The Knicks opened the game shooting just 6-of-17 (35.3%) from the field and New York scored just 2 points in the paint in the first 7:44 of the game.Spurs also made it a priority to get paint touchesIn Game 1, San Antonio backed down from New York’s physical defense and settled for jumpers. In the first quarter of Game 2, the Spurs spammed attacks in the paint to space the floor, setting up sprays to perimeter or high-percentage looks near the rim.This is San Antonio’s recipe for success. The Spurs led in points in the paint in the first quarter by a 18-8 margin.The Spurs shot a blistering 65% from the field in the first.
