Jalen Brunson keeping his eye on the ball at all times allowed him to take advantage of a blunder by Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to help the New York Knicks steal a 105-104 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
Asked about the play that saw Wembanyama pass the ball into Castle’s back that Brunson grabbed to regain possession, the Knicks star told reporters he “saw (Castle) wasn’t looking so I just tried to get it.”
The play occurred with the score tied at 104 and the Spurs getting possession with 11 seconds remaining on a Wembanyama rebound off a Brunson miss.
Wembanyama started to bring the ball up then passed it to Castle, who had already turned his body all the way so that his back was facing Wemby. The ball hit Castle square in the back, allowing Brunson to get the ball.
After the game, Wembanyama shouldered the blame for the play.
“I threw that one away,” Wembanyama told reporters. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Am I gonna regret it? Yes, of course. Am I gonna use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
Brunson was fouled by Wembanyama and made one of his two free-throws to give the Knicks a lead. The Spurs’ attempt to win at the buzzer came up short when Wembanyama’s jumper didn’t fall.
Even though Brunson isn’t known for his defensive prowess, he was disruptive on that end of the court in Game 2. He had five steals were his most in a game since Dec. 15, 2023.
Those five steals resulted in six points in a game the Knicks won by one. They now own a 2-0 series lead as they will return home to Madison Square Garden for the next two games.
Monday’s Game 3 will mark the first Finals game hosted by the Knicks since June 25, 1999.
