NBA.com's Finals hub lists Game 5 as Knicks 94, Spurs 90 and says New York won the series in five games. NBA.com also reported that Jalen Brunson scored 45 points in the clinching game and won the Bill Russell Trophy as Finals MVP.
Table: 2026 NBA Finals results
| Game | Result | Series after game |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Knicks 105, Spurs 95 | Knicks 1-0 |
| Game 2 | Knicks 105, Spurs 104 | Knicks 2-0 |
| Game 3 | Spurs 115, Knicks 111 | Knicks 2-1 |
| Game 4 | Knicks 107, Spurs 106 | Knicks 3-1 |
| Game 5 | Knicks 94, Spurs 90 | Knicks win 4-1 |
Source: NBA.com 2026 NBA Finals hub.
The closeout result ended a 53-year championship gap for the Knicks. NBA.com described the title as New York's first since 1973 and reported that the Knicks rallied from double-digit deficits in all four of their victories in the series. The Guardian also reported that the Knicks closed the Finals with a 4-1 series win.
Brunson's Game 5 was the decisive individual performance. NBA.com said he scored a Knicks Finals-record 45 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and shot 14-for-27 from the field and 13-for-15 from the free-throw line. NBA.com reported that he averaged 32.6 points in the championship series.
The final game still left room for San Antonio's side of the result. NBA.com's Associated Press report on Victor Wembanyama said the Spurs star called the Finals loss "the biggest lesson of my life, the biggest learning moment." The same report said Wembanyama averaged 26 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game in the Finals.
That response is the necessary counterweight to a title story. San Antonio reached the Finals with a young core and a player who was already central to the series, but the Spurs lost four games in which NBA.com said the Knicks repeatedly came back from deficits. The result was therefore not a single blowout loss; it was a series of late-game failures against a Knicks team built around Brunson's fourth-quarter scoring.