New York have not been champions of the NBA since 1973. Tonight in San Antonio, they get their first chance to fix that. The Knicks lead the 2026 Finals 3-1 after OG Anunoby's tip-in stole Game 4 on the road, and Game 5 tips off Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Win it, and Jalen Brunson hoists the Larry O'Brien. Lose, and a Spurs side with Wembanyama gets a flight back to New York and another chance to remember the 1994 Rockets.
How the Knicks got here
The 3-1 lead does not flatter them. Brunson dropped 30 in Game 1 in a steal at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks doubled up on home court in Game 2, were ground down by Wembanyama at the Frost Bank Center in Game 3, and then somehow won Game 4 in San Antonio on Anunoby's tip-in with the clock at zero. Three of the four wins have come on the road, which is the kind of statistic that wins a Finals.
The bigger story is the way they have done it. Tom Thibodeau's defence has flat-out refused to give the Spurs the rim that their half-court offence is built around. Wembanyama is averaging double digits in blocks-plus-deflections and they are still finding ways to neutralise his back-line impact with off-ball cuts and screen-the- screener actions for Brunson and Mikal Bridges.
What San Antonio has to fix tonight
The Spurs do not need to outscore New York. They need to outscore them twice more, which means tonight's game cannot become a rock fight in the 80s. Three priorities for Mitch Johnson:
- More post touches for Wembanyama against Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks have been brilliant defensively, but Towns isolated on Wembanyama in the post is the one matchup the Spurs win every time. They have to force it for 35 minutes.
- Solve the half-court turnover problem. San Antonio averaged 11 turnovers in the regular season. They have had 16, 19, 13 and 18 in this series. New York's pressure has to be answered with cleaner spacing and better Brunson-trap counters.
- Find a third scorer. Wembanyama and Devin Vassell cannot do it alone. Whether it is Stephon Castle, Sochan, or Keldon Johnson finally going off, someone has to put up 18-20 efficient points.
The Knicks' close-out blueprint
Closeout games are about preventing the things that win playoff basketball games, not necessarily about creating them. Thibodeau will ask Brunson to hunt switches early, force the Spurs to over-help, and create looks for Anunoby and Bridges in transition. The minutes for Towns will be a real question — he is matchup-vulnerable against Wembanyama but the Knicks need his shotmaking. Expect him to play something like 32 carefully chosen minutes.
The most important Knicks player tonight might be Josh Hart. He rebounds for both teams, defends three positions, and was on the floor for nearly every meaningful possession of Game 4. The Spurs need to force a Knicks bench they cannot trust to make the shots New York's starters cannot.
The numbers that matter
Teams up 3-1 in the NBA Finals have closed out the series in 36 of 38 all-time meetings. The two exceptions are the 1969 Lakers (who lost to Boston) and the 2016 Warriors (who lost to Cleveland). Both of those collapses required a generational individual performance from the trailing side. Wembanyama is capable of one. He is also asked to do it twice on consecutive nights in two different arenas with a depleted supporting cast — which is a different thing.
Prediction
The home team has won four straight Game 5s when leading 3-1. The underdog story writes itself: Wembanyama drops 40 and the series goes back to New York. The boring story is that the Knicks have been the better team all series, they survived their worst night in Game 3, and tonight Brunson finishes it. Knicks 108, Spurs 102. Either way, follow the live score on Scorelisto basketball.
FAQ
What time is NBA Finals Game 5? 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday June 13, 2026, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
What channel is it on? ABC nationally in the U.S., with streaming on ESPN+ and Fubo for cord-cutters.
Can the Knicks win the title tonight? Yes — the Knicks lead 3-1 and win the championship if they win Game 5. A Spurs win forces Game 6 in New York on Monday night.
Who is the Finals MVP favourite? Jalen Brunson, by a mile, if the Knicks close it out. Wembanyama would have a legitimate case in defeat if the Spurs forced a Game 7, mirroring Jerry West in 1969.
For more, check the Scorelisto blog later tonight for the Game 5 recap.