Jalen Brunson suffered an early setback to begin his first NBA Finals action. The New York Knicks star headed to the locker room late in the first quarter of Wednesday’s Game 1 road clash against the San Antonio Spurs after appearing to tweak his right knee, sparking concern.
Latest on Jalen Brunson’s Game 1 Injury Status vs. Spurs
Brunson was getting in position for a rebound when Spurs forward Harrison Barnes barreled in, colliding with Knicks guard Landry Shamet before falling. As Barnes hit the floor, he made contact with Brunson’s right knee, leaving the three-time All-Star coming up hobbling.
Jalen Brunson was in some discomfort after Harrison Barnes landed on his right knee.
Hope he is ok 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/jxCWqmxhb2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 4, 2026
Brunson made his way to the locker room before returning to New York’s bench early in the second quarter and getting cleared to return. The 29-year-old got off to a rough start, going 1-for-7 from the field (14.3%) for 3 points, recording a plus-minus of minus-10 in his first 11 minutes.
Upon checking back in, Brunson got banged up again on a mid-second-quarter drive against Spurs wing Devin Vassell. He came down awkwardly on his left ankle, with San Antonio big man Luke Kornet inadvertently stepping on it after helping contest the shot.
After the Knicks called a timeout, Brunson voiced his frustration with veteran official Scott Foster over the no-call in a heated face-to-face discussion.
Jalen Brunson let Scott Foster hear it after he appeared to hurt his ankle 😳 pic.twitter.com/ayR1IasEwY
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 4, 2026
Like a true warrior, Brunson remained in the contest, helping New York stay within striking distance despite shooting only 6-for-20 from 3-point range (30%) in the first half. The Knicks entered halftime trailing 55-48, with Brunson leading the way with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, albeit on 5-for-15 shooting overall (33.3%) with 3 turnovers.
Spurs forward Julian Champagnie was the story of the first half, scoring a game-high 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from deep (83.3%), while adding 6 rebounds.
Brunson entered Game 1 averaging 26.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.2 3-pointers per game on 48.6% shooting overall across 14 outings in this year’s playoffs, with New York riding a franchise-record 11-game postseason winning streak.
