San Antonio has become the final stop in the 2025/26 NBA season, with the Spurs chasing a home-court response after New York took the opening game of the championship series. The Knicks won 105-95 in Texas to lead the best-of-seven final 1-0, setting up a return to the same arena on Friday, 5 June.
NBA Finals: Knicks strike first in San Antonio
New York arrived in the final after sweeping Cleveland in the Eastern Conference decider, while San Antonio needed all seven games to get past Oklahoma City in the West. The source material also identifies a coach from Santa Catarina as the first Brazilian coach to win an NBA playoff game, although no name or match detail is provided.
The title series is scheduled to move between San Antonio and New York through 19 June if a seventh game is needed.
| Game | Fixture | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | San Antonio Spurs 95-105 New York Knicks | San Antonio | New York lead series 1-0 |
| Game 2 | San Antonio Spurs v New York Knicks | San Antonio | Friday, 5 June, 21:30 |
| Game 3 | New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs | New York | Monday, 8 June, 21:30 |
| Game 4 | New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs | New York | Wednesday, 10 June, 21:30 |
| Game 5 | San Antonio Spurs v New York Knicks | San Antonio | Saturday, 13 June, 21:30 |
| Game 6 | New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs | New York | Tuesday, 16 June, 21:30 |
| Game 7 | San Antonio Spurs v New York Knicks | San Antonio | Friday, 19 June, 21:30 |
How New York and San Antonio reached the final
The Knicks’ Eastern run ended with an emphatic 4-0 defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers. New York won 115-104 and 109-93 at home before taking control on the road, winning 121-108 and then 130-93 in Cleveland.
San Antonio’s route from the West was more demanding. The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3, winning the opener 122-115 in Oklahoma City before the Thunder levelled with a 122-113 victory. Oklahoma City then moved ahead through a 123-108 result in San Antonio, but the Spurs answered with a 103-82 home win.
The Thunder regained the advantage by winning Game 5, 127-114, in Oklahoma City. San Antonio prolonged the series with a 118-91 victory at home, then completed the turnaround with a 111-103 Game 7 success in Oklahoma City.
Conference semi-finals
| Conference | Series | Game results |
|---|---|---|
| East | Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 Detroit Pistons | Detroit won 111-101 and 107-97 at home; Cleveland replied 116-109 and 112-103 at home, then won 117-113 in Detroit. Detroit took Game 6, 115-94, before Cleveland won 125-94 in Detroit in Game 7. |
| East | New York Knicks 4-0 Philadelphia 76ers | New York won 137-98 and 108-102 at home, followed by 108-94 and 144-114 in Philadelphia. |
| West | San Antonio Spurs 4-2 Minnesota Timberwolves | Minnesota won 104-102 in San Antonio, but the Spurs responded 133-95 at home and 115-108 in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 114-109 in Game 4 before San Antonio claimed the final two games, 126-97 at home and 139-109 in Minneapolis. A Game 7 in San Antonio on Sunday, 17 May, was listed only if required. |
| West | Oklahoma City Thunder 4-0 Los Angeles Lakers | Oklahoma City won 108-90 and 125-107 at home, then 131-108 and 115-110 in Los Angeles. |
The opening-round routes
Detroit survived a seven-game Eastern Conference opening series against Orlando despite losing the first match 112-101. The Pistons answered with a 98-83 win, then lost 113-105 and 94-88 in Orlando. They recovered with victories of 116-109, 93-70 and 116-94 to take the series 4-3.
Philadelphia upset Boston 4-3. The Celtics won Game 1 by 123-91 and Game 3 by 108-100, while Philadelphia took the other five decisive turns in the series: 111-97, 113-97, 106-93 and a 109-100 win in Boston in Game 7. Boston’s other victory came by 128-96 in Philadelphia.
New York moved past Atlanta 4-2, opening with a 113-102 win before narrow defeats of 107-106 and 109-108. The Knicks then won 114-98, 126-97 and 140-89 to close the matchup.
Cleveland’s seven-game duel with Toronto finished 4-3 for the Cavaliers. Cleveland took the first two games 126-113 and 115-105, while Toronto won 126-104 in Game 3. The Cavaliers edged Game 4 by 93-89 and Game 5 by 125-120, lost 112-110 in Toronto, then won the decider 114-102.
| Western Conference first round | Series outcome | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder v Phoenix Suns | Thunder won 4-0 | 119-84, 120-107, 121-109 and 131-122. |
| San Antonio Spurs v Portland Trail Blazers | Spurs won 4-1 | San Antonio won 111-98, lost 106-103, then won 120-108, 114-93 and 114-95. |
| Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves | Minnesota won 4-2 | Denver won 116-105 in Game 1 and 125-113 in Game 5; Minnesota’s victories were 119-114, 113-96, 112-96 and 110-98. |
| Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets | Lakers won 4-2 | Los Angeles won 107-98 and 101-94, then took Game 3 in overtime, 112-108. Houston won 115-96 and 99-93 before the Lakers completed the series with a 98-78 road victory. |
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New York Knicks lead San Antonio Spurs in 2025/26 NBA Finals
SEO Description
New York beat San Antonio 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a sweep of Cleveland, while the Spurs reached the series through a seven-game win over Oklahoma City.
