Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Knicks stunned the NBA world (for better or worse) on Wednesday night, stealing Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio for the team’s first road win on the biggest stage since Game 2 back in 1994.

In an ugly, physical, defensive-focused game, the box score doesn’t look pretty, but we’ll try to grade the guys based on how they looked and their impact, rather than judging them by their efficiency, considering the stage.

Jalen Brunson: B

30 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 12-31 FG, 2-9 3pt, 4-4 FT, 4 turnovers, +6

Looking at the statline alone and knowing Brunson’s shortcomings defensively, you might have an eyebrow raised looking at this grade if you didn’t watch the game, but to fully contextualize things, you have to look at the bigger picture.

Harrison Barnes flopped to his knee in the first quarter, prompting him to head to the locker room. OAKAAK Luke Kornet stepped on his foot in the second quarter. He was in serious pain for much of the first half as he struggled with his shot and looked apprehensive at times. He started 1-for-8 and 6-for-20. He couldn’t buy a three. It wasn’t his night.

And then he just fried their faces off in the fourth quarter. 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Calming down the troops after surrendering a brutal 9-0 run in the final minutes with a clutch three with 1:50 to go. Making impossible shot after impossible shot.

He’s making an argument to be the best playoff closer since Michael Jeffrey Jordan. And it’s not just me saying it.

He doesn’t get an A because he was a big part of the team’s offensive struggles in the first half, but he was fantastic. On a day where nobody seemed to be firing on all cylinders, he was the best player out there.

Mikal Bridges: C

9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3-6 FG, 3-4 FT, 1 turnover, +11

This was Mikal’s worst game since Game 5 against Atlanta. He looked apprehensive as he adjusted to the truly generational rim protection of Victor Wembanyama. For a guy who’s one of the best shooters in this series, he didn’t take a three. Because of the way the Spurs are structured, he also doesn’t have a clear defensive responsibility.

But he was a big part of silencing San Antonio’s offense with active hands and strong contests. He also sneakily was the catalyst behind the Knicks picking themselves off the mat after falling behind 94-95, subbing in for Landry Shamet with 2:16 to go and being on the court for the game-ending 11-0 run. He got the assist on Brunson’s go-ahead triple.

There will be a time for Bridges to have a big game in this series; it just didn’t happen on Wednesday.

Josh Hart: A-

3 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 1-5 FG, 0-3 3pt, 4 fouls, +22

Is this not the most Josh Hart statline ever?

He’s 13 inches shorter than Wemby, yet he outrebounded him.

His first half was very mediocre. He got into foul trouble and was clogging up the offense because of ghost coverage, which he wasn’t able to shoot his way out of.

Yet, like he always does, he found a way to make an impact. 10 rebounds in 19 second-half minutes. +17. Three clutch steals in the fourth quarter. He was everywhere.

If he starts making open threes, the Spurs are in trouble.

OG Anunoby: B

17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 5-12 FG, 3-6 3pt, 4-4 FT, -6

It was a weird game for OG. He was, like Bridges, apprehensive early, but he got more aggressive in the second half. He wasn’t able to fully get his game off because of Wemby’s rim protection, but he nailed three clutch triples in the second half to give the offense life.

He made four straight clutch free throws that took the life out of the Spurs. He played formidable defense all game. It was a solid OG game, but one that he can improve upon.

Karl-Anthony Towns: A

18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 7-15 FG, 0-2 3pt, 4-4 FT, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, +14

What a fantastic game for the Big Bodega, who’s playing the best team basketball of his career.

He didn’t make his threes. He didn’t make a shot outside the restricted area. He once again failed to clear 20 points.

Didn’t matter. He successfully dragged Wemby out of the paint and drove right past him. He spearheaded the third-quarter comeback that made it a game. Maybe Chet Holmgren can take notes.

But what elevates his performance above all the rest? His defense on the most unstoppable force in basketball. Wemby was uncomfortable with him all game, going just 2-for-12 with three turnovers with Towns guarding him. In a postseason where he’s played the best defense of his career, he just had his magnum opus.

Deuce McBride: B

6 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 1 block, 2-7 FG, 2-6 3pt, +11

When the Knicks were down 14 in the third quarter and needed a life raft, McBride was on the court, doing all the little things and making the right plays.

He played better than his stat line. He had two of the most emphatic plays of the game in that third quarter.

José Alvarado: C-

7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3-6 FG, 1-3 3pt, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, +4

Alvarado had some moments in his NBA Finals debut, but there were some moments that stood out to me in a negative way.

At times, he took too long to get into the offense. This works when you have a 1A like Brunson, but a player like Alvarado needs to get into the offense sooner. He’s not a gifted scorer or shooter, so his value on that end comes from his playmaking. He didn’t do enough there.

The decision-making was also odd. He isolated on Wemby at the three-point line with 5 seconds on the shot clock. He was taking rough floaters. He sagged off Julian Champagnie late in the first half.

His offense wasn’t all bad, though. He had a nifty reverse layup to get around the long arms of Wembanyama and nailed a three late in the first half. Overall, pretty average.

Landry Shamet: B-

13 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 5-9 FG, 3-6 3pt, 4 fouls, -11

Shamet had the worst plus-minus on the Knicks, but it didn’t reflect his level of play.

Offensively, he was the only player who was able to make a three. He hit one in the midst of the big 3Q run, he hit a go-ahead layup early in the fourth, and had the quick trigger that the team needed badly.

Why was he -11? He was on the court for that late Spurs sprint before being replaced by Bridges with 2 minutes to go.

Mitchell Robinson: B

2 points, 6 rebounds, 1-2 FG, 0-1 FT, 1 foul, 1 OREB, -4

How do you judge a man who played just 13 minutes and didn’t touch the ball a lot?

He missed a dunk, he yammed it on his old best friend, and he grabbed six rebounds. All with a broken hand.

He could do more, but he was good in his spurts. He had one fantastic defensive possession on Wembanyama to force a turnover and another tremendous seal to give Brunson space to hit a key layup. He’s a high-IQ player who will be vital to getting three more wins.

Jordan Clarkson: D+

0 points, 0 assists, 1 rebound, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3pt, 1 foul, +2

Clarkson played six minutes, and you didn’t notice him much. Not sure why he attempted a three as his only shot, but we’ll have to see if he can get back to what he’s thrived at in Game 2

SAN ANTONIO — A week of mystery ended with Mitchell Robinson on the court.

But no more clarity on how he actually sustained his injury.

Robinson played 13 minutes in the Knicks’ 105-95 Game 1 win over the Spurs on Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center.

He recorded two points and six rebounds. His two points came on an alley-oop over Luke Kornet.

“I didn’t think he was,” coach Mike Brown said when asked if he thought Robinson was limited. “I’ve got to go back and watch the tape. He caught a lob. He was still a vertical threat. … And then defensively, I thought he was pretty good as well, trying to rebound, keeping those guys off the glass.”

Robinson’s status had become a central Knicks storyline after he had surgery for a fracture of the fifth metacarpal in his right hand between the conference finals and the Finals. He had been listed as questionable in the lead-up to Wednesday.

“Nah, I didn’t have no doubt in my head,” Robinson said when asked if he was ever nervous he wouldn’t be able to play. “I’ve been here eight years. There was no way I was gonna miss this.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

How did his hand feel?

“It was straight,” Robinson said. “It was alright. We’ll see how it is tonight.”

The Knicks have been cryptic and have not revealed how the injury occurred, only saying that it did not happen in a game or practice. ESPN reported that it occurred at his home.

Wednesday was the first time Robinson was made available to the media since the conference finals. But he still had no interest in revealing what happened with his hand.

“We here for basketball,” he said.

A fan ran on to the court and tried to take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama, momentarily pausing Game 1 before security got him off the court.

“I’ve never been in that situation,” Wembanyama said. “I didn’t know how to act. It really surprised me.”

SAN ANTONIO - A few notes after the Knicks’ win over the Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals...

KAT-A-LYST

Victor Wembanyama didn’t leave the court on Wednesday with any overt concerns about himself or his team. 

“I'm not worried (in) the slightest,” he said after the Knicks’ come-from-behind win in Game 1. 

It almost sounded like Wembanyama was downplaying the impact of the Knicks' defense in Game 1. 

Karl-Anthony Towns and New York forced Wembanyama into tough shots all night, as he finished 6-for-21 with six turnovers. 

He shot just 2-for-12 when defended by Towns. 

But Wembanyama didn’t leave the arena worried about the Spurs’ chances in the series. 

“It's almost like I have to play normal, not even good. It's just like doing the right things is enough,” he said. “When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I'm not worried. We're going to be so much better. I'm going to be so much better.”

Towns got the better of Wembanyama on both ends of the floor in Game 1. 

He had 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one block through three quarters. His play in the third quarter helped New York rebound from a double-digit deficit. Of course, Jalen Brunson took over from there, with 13 points in the final 7:30 of regulation to lift New York to an upset in Game 1. 

But the Knicks aren’t in position to win the game without Towns. 

“Honestly with KAT, I feel like when he’s locked in he’s not just doing the scoring, doing the assisting but he’s setting the pick (on the pick) and roll and he’s diving hard and then defensively he’s bringing a physical presence,” Miles McBride said after Game 1. 

“What he did for us was not just guard him at a high level but he kept him from getting those second chance opportunities which I think is something Wemby does phenomenal. I feel like that’s huge. Taking away a first shot is big but to take away that second one was big for us.”

JALEN DOES IT AGAIN 

Brunson was 7-for-22 through the first three quarters of Game 1, but as is usually the case, he was at his best in the fourth.

He scored eight unanswered points midway through the quarter and then hit a three-pointer off of his own tip rebound and a tough jump shot to help put the Spurs away. 

He did all of this after leaving the game for a long stretch due to an apparent leg injury. 

“He's a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that's what MVPs are supposed to do,” Mike Brown said. “We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that's happened time after time after time. He got to his spots and he made plays."

MITCH BACK ON THE FLOOR

Less than 10 days after having surgery to repair a broken fifth metacarpal in his right hand, Mitchell Robinson was on the floor and impacting the game against San Antonio. 

He had six rebounds in 13 minutes and helped create quality shots for his teammates simply by being on the floor. 

“He was still a vertical threat,” Brown said of Robinson. “If you don't pull in to tag him, it's a dunk, and when he rolls like he rolls and creates that weak side to pull in, our guys have to spray the basketball. So it's one of the two: You throw it up, just kind of what have they do with Wembanyama. You throw it to Wembanyama or you throw it up to Mitch, and if the small pulls in and tags those guys, you've got to find the skip pass. And then defensively, I thought he was pretty good, defensively, as well, trying to rebound, keeping those guys off the glass.”

Robinson didn’t want to discuss what happened to his hand, which was not broken during a game or practice. It was a non-basketball injury. 

But Robinson said he was never concerned about possibly missing Game 1. 

“I’ve been here for eight years. There was no way I was going to miss this,” he said.  

The New York Knicks overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit to snatch a 105-95 victory at the San Antonio Spurs in the opening game of the NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the final quarter as the Knicks scored 11 points without reply to surge clear in the final two minutes.

With their 12th win in a row, the Knicks matched the second best all-time post-season streak set by the Spurs in 1999.

That was in the Knicks' most recent appearance in the best-of-seven Finals, when the Spurs beat them to the title.

It is the fourth time that the Knicks have gone on to win in the second half having trailed by 10 or more points in these play-offs. They overturned a 22-point deficit in the opener of Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks are bidding to win their first Championship since 1973 and Karl-Anthony Towns said the fans have been inspiring their comebacks.

"It's something that's in the city, you feel that energy in the city," said Towns, who posted 18 points and 12 rebounds.

"The grit, the grind, the hard work you've got to put in to make it in the city.

"I think we reflect our fans and their lifestyles and what it takes to make it in New York City, when we step on that court with the Knicks jersey."

It was a quiet night for Victor Wembanyama. He was the top scorer for the Spurs but only scored six of his 21 shots from the field.

"We've been down in a series before - never in the Finals - but I'm not kicking myself about anything," said Wembenyama.

"I was bad, it's not more complicated than that. I'm not worried in the slightest."

The best-of-seven series continues in San Antonio on Friday before the teams head to Madison Square Garden for Game three on Monday.