The San Antonio Spurs were punched in the mouth in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, dropping the series opener at home to give the Knicks home-court advantage for the time being.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama didn’t have his best showing in the loss. Although he finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, he shot just 6-of-21 from the field.
In addition, former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins thinks the Knicks exposed Wembanyama — the Defensive Player of the Year this season — on that end of the floor through the play of star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
Kendrick Perkins says Wemby got exposed last night 😳
“I’ma tell the Spurs fans this: Y’all got a problem. Y’all have a serious problem. The DPOY got exposed last night.”
(h/t @NBA__Courtside ) pic.twitter.com/JkV93dgchg
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 4, 2026
“Yes, Towns played the best defensive game of his life last night,” Perkins said. “But offensively, he showed the world that Wemby can’t guard him. He is a matchup problem for the Spurs.”
Towns had a game to remember on both ends of the floor, playing a key role on defense to slow down Wembanyama while also making an impact offensively. He finished the game with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while shooting 7-of-15 from the field.
The Knicks can try to utilize a similar game plan in the next matchup in order to replicate their success against Wembanyama, but the Spurs do have some time to make adjustments before Game 2 begins on Friday. San Antonio will face some pressure to win that one in order to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole before the series shifts to Madison Square Garden.
Wembanyama and Towns will be battling all series long, and their matchups could determine the outcome of the NBA Finals.
Both players have had strong postseasons. Wembanyama, in his first taste of playoff experience, has averaged 23.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.5 blocks per game to this point. Towns, meanwhile, has gone for 17.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest during New York’s run.
The Knicks haven’t lost a game since the first round and are now a win in Game 2 away from being in serious control of the series, but the Spurs know what’s on the line and will certainly come prepared as they try to even the series on Friday. If Game 1 was any indication, it’s going to be an exciting NBA Finals for the basketball world.
