NBA Finals Bracket 2026 Odds, Box Score Predictions for Knicks vs. Spurs Game 1

The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks are about to party like it's 1999.

Or maybe the middle of this past December.

Because these clubs are set to square off on the championship stage—just like they did during the 1999 Finals and again during this season's NBA Cup.

The 'Bockers have been a buzz saw, having swept consecutive series and last losing a game on April 23. Yet, oddsmakers currently favor the Spurs, who had the better record this season and therefore have home-court advantage.

We'll provide all of the need-to-know particulars for Wednesday's series opener before making a couple of box-score predictions for Game 1.

Game 1 Schedule, Broadcast Info and Odds

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Who: New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs

When: Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas

How to watch: ABC, ESPN App

Game 1 spread: Spurs -4.5

Game 1 total: Over/under 218.5

Series odds: Spurs -190; Knicks +158

*odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Prediction: Karl-Anthony Towns Makes 3+ Three-Pointers

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The Knicks will funnel their offense through Jalen Brunson first, but they'll need to squeeze as much as they can out of Karl-Anthony Towns, too.

There are a couple of reasons for that. First, the Spurs figure to sell out on stopping Brunson—or at least containing him as best they can. They'll throw a slew of long, lanky, disruptive stoppers at him, and they'll surely have helpers at the ready for whenever he breaks down the first line of defense.

New York will have to punish San Antonio for giving Brunson too much attention, and that's where Towns comes in. The Knicks will lean on him for connective passing and ask him to punish smaller defenders when they're switched onto him, but what they really need is for him to stretch out the defense by shredding nets from distance. Because if he's a knockdown shooter in this series, then he's one player the Spurs cannot leave unattended.

His offensive involvement can be puzzling at times, but the Knicks have looked to establish him early. In each round of the playoffs so far, his most field goal attempts have come in Game 1 (where he's also averaging 4.7 three-point attempts). If his three-ball is on—and it usually is—he shouldn't have trouble knocking in at least three triples in this contest.

Prediction: Victor Wembanyama Scores 30+ Points

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San Antonio's draft investments in Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper already look like home runs. The 2025 deadline deal for De'Aaron Fox was a well-timed accelerator. The Spurs have gotten a lot right with this roster.

And yet, they are where the are because of Victor Wembanyama. He might not be a one-man band, but he is the most intimidating player in the league right now—and seemingly on course to being one of its most impactful players ever. He changes geometry and stretches the realm of possibilities on both ends of the floor.

The Spurs are effectively built to go as far as he can take them, so they'll give him every opportunity to lead. They've done some kid-glove handling of him in the past, but that's all out the window now. They featured him like never before in the Western Conference finals (18.4 shots and 37.7 minutes per game), and it feels like if those numbers change, they'll only continue to climb.

He is their constant advantage, a walking-mismatch scorer with impossible reach and range on defense. Good things almost always happen when San Antonio looks his way; this team is 7-2 when he takes more than 15 shots this postseason and 4-4 when he doesn't. Look for the Spurs to forcefeed him early and often, and don't be surprised to see him race past 30 points, just like he did in the series openers of rounds one and three.