How Jalen Brunson overcame injury to will Knicks to win vs. Spurs with clutch 4th quarter

The Jalen Brunson experience in his NBA Finals debut was a rollercoaster ride.

In the first quarter of Knicks vs. Spurs on Wednesday night, Brunson left the floor with an apparent knee injury after Harrison Barnes fell onto his leg. Shortly after he returned, Brunson was once again in some pain, grabbing at his ankle.

By the time the final buzzer sounded, however, Brunson was also the Knicks' hero as they took a 1-0 series lead — even on a night that he shot 12-for-31 from the floor.

Here's how Brunson came alive in the fourth quarter to lead New York over San Antonio on the road in Game 1.

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Jalen Brunson 4th quarter stats

Brunson scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor in the fourth quarter alone of Game 1. After the game was tied heading into the final quarter thanks to the Knicks' third-quarter run, it was Brunson's barrage of buckets that led New York to a 10-point victory.

At this point, Brunson's clutch gene is well known — he's been winning games for the Knicks in the fourth quarter for years. But the NBA Finals stage is certainly different. With a chance to lead his team to a 1-0 series advantage against arguably the best player in the league right now, Victor Wembanyama, Brunson silenced the Spurs from all three levels of the floor.

It only continued his outstanding fourth-quarter performances during the 2026 playoffs:

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 4, 2026

In total, Brunson had 30 points on 12-of-31 shooting in Game 1 — and while that's fairly inefficient, it was a game that required stars to step up with both offenses going through bad stretches, including Wembanyama shooting 6-of-21 from the floor.

When it mattered most, Brunson was the most reliable player on the floor at putting the ball in the basket in Game 1.

MORE: What's known about fan who ran on court during Game 1 of NBA Finals

Jalen Brunson 4th quarter highlights

Brunson returned to the floor for the remainder of the game at the 7:37 mark of the fourth quarter. He finished a scoop layup soon afterward, and came alive from there.

— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026

At one point, he had scored eight-straight Knicks points as they went on a run.

— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026

The biggest shot of the night for either team came courtesy of the Knicks' star point guard. With New York trailing by one with under two minutes remaining, Mikal Bridges found Brunson open in the corner, and he connected on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to put the Knicks up by two — also earning a "bang" call from Mike Breen.

— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026

Shortly after, he put the Spurs to rest with a high-arcing, lean-in jumper as he was falling to the ground.

— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026

Jalen Brunson injury

All of Brunson's heroics came after some significant injury concerns in the first half.

First, with Landry Shamet and Harrison Barnes fighting for a rebound, Barnes fell to the ground and landed on the nearby Brunson's right leg. Brunson immediately grabbed at his knee, motioned to be taken out of the game, then went back to the locker room.

Jalen Brunson was seen grabbing at his knee after a collision with Harrison Barnes.pic.twitter.com/BdsbrupknQ

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 4, 2026

By the start of the second quarter, he was back on the Knicks' bench, and a few minutes later, he returned to the game. But that wasn't the end of Brunson's injuries.

After a layup attempt against Spurs backup center Luke Kornet at the rim, Brunson fell to the ground, and Kornet landed on the guard's left ankle when he came to the floor. Afterward, Brunson was visibly upset that there was no foul called.

Brunson gets hit hard again, twists his ankle, then Kornet steps on his ankle. He was HOT at the no foul call. Looks very bad, he is beat up. pic.twitter.com/ET5rIcT5y7

— KNICKS BEAST (@KnicksBeast) June 4, 2026

Still, Brunson stayed on the floor for the rest of the matchup with no issues, making it clear with his play that he will be fine moving forward.

He left little doubt after speaking to ESPN's Lisa Salters after the game.

"I'll be alright," Brunson said.

"I'll be alright." —Jalen Brunson aka The KING of New York. pic.twitter.com/D3KIrB7fM5

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 4, 2026

Head coach Mike Brown also said postgame that Brunson is "tough as nails" and it didn't seem like the injury bothered him.

"I think he's okay," Brown said.

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 4, 2026

Jalen Brunson Game 1 stats

• Minutes: 37
• Points: 30
• Rebounds: 3
• Assists: 2
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 0
• FG: 12-31
• 3PT: 2-9
• FT: 4-4

Part of the Knicks' many strengths is that, thanks to the infrastructure they've built around Brunson, with plenty of strong defenders, shooters and passers, there are some nights when all they need him to do is put the ball in the hoop. In Game 1 of the Finals, that was the case.

With Josh Hart grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out six assists and recording four steals, plus Karl-Anthony Towns adding 18 points and 12 rebounds while playing strong defense on Wembanyama, Brunson didn't play the role of facilitator much, and he wasn't even efficient with his shots — but it didn't matter. The ones that went in made the biggest difference, and he was the difference against an elite Spurs defense.

Brunson's story is far from written, but for a guard who was once viewed as a likely career backup after being selected in the second round, he's blossomed into a superstar who takes over NBA Finals games.

Jalen Brunson now has the 2nd most 30-point playoff games by a PG in NBA HISTORY. pic.twitter.com/4IqGEFwup2

— Real App (@realapp) June 4, 2026