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Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs Match Player Stats: The Complete 2026 NBA Finals Box Score

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the closing seconds of Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals.

Finding a clean box score for a Finals closeout game should not require three tabs and a paywall. The numbers below come straight from the official Game 5 ledger. You get every starter’s line, the quarter-by-quarter swings, and the efficiency margins that decided the series. This is the reference page for knicks vs san antonio spurs match player stats from the 2026 Finals.

A Quick Look at the Rivalry

The Knicks and Spurs had met 107 times in the regular season before this series, with San Antonio holding a 60–47 edge. Their only prior Finals meeting came in 1999, when the Spurs won 4–1 behind Tim Duncan’s Finals MVP run. New York waited 27 years for a rematch. The 2026 series gave the franchise its first championship since 1973.

The Most Recent Matchup: Game 5, June 13, 2026

New York closed the series with a 94–90 road win at Frost Bank Center. The Knicks trailed by 16 points in the first half and shot under 30% at halftime, yet they still entered the locker room down only five. Jalen Brunson scored 13 straight New York points in the fourth quarter and finished with a franchise Finals-record 45 points. Dylan Harper led San Antonio with 25 off the bench. Victor Wembanyama added 19 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks in the loss. The Knicks won the series 4–1 and clinched their first title in 53 years.

Team Totals and Efficiency Comparison

The final score says four points. The efficiency table says the Spurs out-shot the Knicks and still lost. New York won the free-throw battle and the offensive glass, and that was enough to close the gap.

MetricKnicksSpurs
Points9490
Effective FG%.425.453
Turnover %12.412.1
Offensive rebound %28.328.6
FT/FGA.230.140
Offensive rating101.396.9

The Knicks posted a 101.3 offensive rating despite a lower effective field-goal percentage. The difference lives in the free-throw rate: New York generated .230 free throws per field-goal attempt, while San Antonio generated .140. In a four-point game, that margin decides the outcome.

Backcourt Matchup and Playmaking Stats

Brunson’s 45 points on 27 shots with three turnovers is the defining individual line of the series. De’Aaron Fox struggled through one of his worst games of the playoffs: 7 points on 3-of-15 shooting, 1-of-8 from three, five assists, and two steals in 37 minutes.

PlayerTeamMINPTSASTTOVFG3PT
Jalen BrunsonNYK41:07453314-274-7
Josh HartNYK39:1013214-113-6
Mikal BridgesNYK38:3414405-103-7
Dylan HarperSAS31254010-192-4
De’Aaron FoxSAS3775—3-151-8

Harper’s 25 points came without a single turnover. Fox’s five assists came with a shooting line that forced San Antonio’s offense into catch-up mode for most of the second half. When you compare knicks vs san antonio spurs match player stats by backcourt production, the gap between Brunson and Fox is the first thing that jumps off the page.

Paint Scoring and Transition Performance

San Antonio won the paint 38–30. New York won the free-throw line 28 attempts to 20. That trade-off defined the game.

MetricKnicksSpurs
Paint points3038
Fast-break points1313
Biggest lead416
Points off turnovers1821

Wembanyama’s five blocks explain the paint gap. He altered shots without leaving his feet, and San Antonio’s guards funneled drivers toward him. The Knicks adjusted by drawing contact. Brunson attempted 15 free throws. The Spurs as a team attempted 20.

Scoring Distribution and Off-Ball Production

New York’s scoring was top-heavy by design. Brunson accounted for 45 of the team’s 94 points. No other Knick scored more than 14. San Antonio spread the load across three players in double figures, but the bench scoring edge belonged to the Spurs behind Harper’s 25.

Knicks PlayerMINPTSREBSTLBLK
Jalen Brunson41:0745320
Mikal Bridges38:3414201
Josh Hart39:10131100
OG Anunoby32:4711831
Karl-Anthony Towns22:4421031
Spurs PlayerMINPTSREBASTBLK
Dylan Harper3125541
Victor Wembanyama38191425
Julian Champagnie3114710
Devin Vassell3912721
De’Aaron Fox377050

Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out after 22 minutes but still pulled down 10 rebounds. Josh Hart’s 11 boards gave New York second-chance possessions that San Antonio could not match. The knicks vs san antonio spurs match player stats in the rebound column explain why the Knicks survived a 35.6% shooting night.

Defensive Plays, Turnovers, and Blocks

The defensive counting stats are close. The timing was not. OG Anunoby’s three steals disrupted San Antonio’s wing actions in the fourth quarter. Wembanyama’s five blocks kept the Spurs within striking distance until Brunson’s closing run.

Defensive MetricKnicksSpurs
Steals85
Blocks36
Turnovers forced1214

New York forced 12 Spurs turnovers and converted them into 18 points. San Antonio forced 14 Knicks turnovers and scored 21 off them. The raw margin favors the Spurs by three points. The fourth-quarter margin favored the Knicks by eleven.

Step-by-Step Game-Changing Moments

Q1 — Spurs build the cushion. San Antonio opened with a 23–13 first quarter. Wembanyama’s rim protection and Harper’s early scoring set the tone.

Q2 — Knicks survive the shooting drought. New York shot 13-of-44 in the first half. The Knicks still cut the halftime deficit to 42–37 because San Antonio scored only 19 points in the second quarter.

Q3 — Spurs push the lead back to 16. San Antonio stretched the margin midway through the third. A flagrant foul on Mitchell Robinson led to a six-point Spurs possession and a 12-point lead.

Q4 — Brunson takes over. Brunson scored 13 consecutive New York points in the fourth. The Knicks outscored San Antonio 29–18 in the final frame and sealed the championship.

What the Numbers Tell Us About Each Team

The Knicks are a free-throw-driven, glass-crashing team that leans on one elite creator. That formula worked because Brunson converted at a high rate and the supporting cast won the possession battle. The Spurs are a balanced, defense-first team with a generational rim protector. Their weakness showed up at the line and in late-game shot creation. Fox’s 3-of-15 shooting forced San Antonio to rely on a rookie bench scorer for its half-court offense. Harper delivered 25 points, but the Spurs could not generate enough clean looks when Brunson’s run arrived.

Looking Back: How the Rivalry Has Unfolded Over Time

The 1999 Finals remain the historical reference point. San Antonio won that series 4–1, and the Knicks did not return to the Finals until 2026. The rematch reversed the outcome but followed a similar script: elite defense, a dominant big man, and a guard who controlled the closing minutes. Tim Duncan passed the torch to Wembanyama in spirit. Brunson made sure the Knicks did not leave empty-handed again.

Why Player Stats Matter in This Matchup

Box scores explain why a team wins when the shooting percentages say it should lose. The Knicks shot worse from the field and from three. They won because they generated eight more free-throw attempts and matched San Antonio on the offensive glass despite a lower effective field-goal percentage. Those are not glamour stats, but they are the reason the knicks vs san antonio spurs match player stats tell a different story than the raw shooting splits. Anyone building a model for this rivalry should weight free-throw rate and offensive rebounding heavily.

Final Thoughts and Fan Community Takeaways

The 2026 Finals gave us a series worth revisiting for years. Brunson’s 45-point closeout game belongs in Knicks lore. Wembanyama’s 14-rebound, 5-block performance in a losing effort reminds everyone that San Antonio’s window is just opening. If you are digging through knicks vs san antonio spurs match player stats, focus on the margins: free throws, offensive rebounds, and fourth-quarter shot creation. Those are the numbers that decided this championship.

FAQs

What were Jalen Brunson’s stats in Game 5 of the 2026 Finals?

Brunson scored 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three and 13-of-15 from the line. He added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 41 minutes.

How did De’Aaron Fox perform in Game 5?

Fox finished with seven points on 3-of-15 shooting, 1-of-8 from beyond the arc, five assists, and two steals in 37 minutes. It was his worst shooting game of the Finals.

What was the halftime score of Knicks vs Spurs Game 5?

San Antonio led 42–37 at halftime. The Knicks shot 13-of-44 in the first half but cut a 16-point deficit to five by the break.

Where can I find the full knicks vs san antonio spurs match player stats?

The official box score lives on Basketball-Reference. NBA.com and ESPN carry full player lines, quarter splits, and play-by-play logs.

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