On the grand stage of Game 1 in the NBA Finals, the tallest player found himself overshadowed when the pressure was on.
Victor Wembanyama faltered in the final moments, allowing the Knicks’ defense to excel and secure a 105-95 victory, granting them an early advantage in the series.
A pivotal moment unfolded with just 57 seconds left in the game, as the Knicks held a narrow four-point lead.
Wembanyama mishandled the ball, losing control and allowing Josh Hart to seize it. Hart then skillfully slowed the fastbreak to run down the clock.
In a twist of fate, it was one of the shorter players, Jalen Brunson, who delivered the decisive blow.
Brunson hit his patented pull-up mid-range jumper, thrusting the Knicks to a 101-95 advantage and putting the Spurs in panic mode.
San Antonio raced down the floor, hoping to cut the deficit to three, where Wembanyama came up short again, missing a 27-foot 3-pointer with 32.1 seconds left.
Wembanyama ended the game with 26 points, but went 6-of-21 from the field and 2-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.
“Every team guards differently, I’m going to figure it out,” Wembanyama told reporters postgame. “I was bad tonight. It’s not more complicated than that. I think we let that one go.”
In the final six minutes, Wembanyama was called for a travel and went 1-for-5 from the field as the Knicks ended the game on a 12-0 run.
Wembanyama, 22, struggled against the Knicks’ offensive spacing, as Karl-Anthony Towns forced him away from the basket with his passing and shot-making.
The victory for the Knicks puts the Spurs in a tough spot heading into Friday’s Game 2, as Wembanyama will be relied upon to put together a heroic performance as he did in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Thunder.