New York Knicks’ Nigerian-born youngster, Ogugua ‘OG’ Anunoby was in stunning form once again and hit home 17 points to help former D’Tigers’ coach, Mike Brown’s squad romp to victory against San Antonio Spurs.
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Sports247 reports that Anunoby’s points haul contributed immensely to a remarkable rally for his side, from 14 down, to open the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2026 Finals with a shock away win in San Antonio.
With Anunoby back to top form, after missing the last three games of their Eastern Conference Finals, The Knicks overcame early offensive struggles and a 14-point third-quarter deficit to secure a gritty 105-95 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The win helped Anunoby’s team gain home-court advantage in the series and they are guaranteed a return to their home court at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 with no worse than a 1-1 tie; after extending their post-season streak to 12 wins.
The winning streak for Anunoby’s side dates back to Game 4 of the Eastern first round against Atlanta Hawks on April 25th, and the squad from New York defied all odds against a Spurs’ side buoyed by hot 3-point shooting from Julian Champagnie.
The Spurs took a 55-48 lead into halftime and extended it to 65-51 midway through the third quarter, but The Knicks capitalized with an 11-4 run when Wembanyama went to the bench; and eventually rallied at 71-71 before the third quarter was over.
Wembanyama was caged from the floor, restricted to 6-of-21 shooting, but still led The Spurs with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, then gassed down the stretch and turned the ball over six times in addition to his inefficient shooting effort.
A pair of Wembanyama free throws capped a 9-0 run and gave San Antonio a 95-94 advantage with 2:16 remaining, but Jalen Brunson answered right back with a corner 3 to put New York back on top.
Anunoby (17 points, 3 rebounds) and Landry Shamet (13 points off the bench) joined Brunson and Towns in double figures, while The Spurs shot just 36% from the field and 25.6% from 3 in their worst offensive showing of the post-season.
The shock away victory for Mike Brown’s squad now puts him and his players, joined by Anunoby, just three wins away from their first NBA championship title since 1973; while Spurs failed to break 100 points for the first time this post-season.
