Jalen Brunson missed 19 shots and still closed Game 1, because the Knicks never stopped trusting him late

The shot profile still left room for concern

Brunson went 12-for-31 from the field and 2-for-9 from three, so this was not clean offense for four quarters. San Antonio made him work through Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox and help from Wembanyama. “Wasn’t really our night, wasn’t really my night most of the night,” Brunson said afterward. The Knicks closed a game in which they shot 41.5 percent as a team, and Brunson’s late-clock comfort was the reason the misses did not matter.

The close was defense as much as Brunson

New York finished on an 11-0 run, and Josh Hart’s steals built it. Hart’s first steal of the fourth led to a Brunson layup that put New York up 92-86 with 6:34 left, and his final steal set up Brunson’s 15-foot jumper with 38 seconds remaining that sealed it. The Knicks forced 13 Spurs turnovers and scored 19 points off them, turning Brunson’s shotmaking into a finishing kick rather than a solo act.

Game 2 starts with the same coverage question

San Antonio has to decide how much help to send before Brunson gets into the paint or turns the corner. Too much help opens Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet for rhythm looks. Anunoby hit three of his six threes, and Shamet added 13 off the bench, so the kickout shooters are live.

Game 2 is Friday in San Antonio. The Spurs have to make Brunson’s first 30 shots as difficult as his last two were damaging, and they have to keep New York’s hands out of the passing lanes that flipped the opener.