Jalen Brunson’s anger toward referee Scott Foster may have been equivalent to the size of Texas.
The Knicks star was irate with the official with just under six minutes to play in the first half during the Knicks’ 105-95 Game 1 win in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night after no call was made when Spurs big man Luke Kornet landed on the ankle of Brunson after the guard fell to the ground driving to the hoop.
Brunson, who finished with 30 points, went right up to Foster and yelled in his direction after a timeout was called.
Another member of the Knicks quickly came and moved Brunson away, while Foster didn’t seem to pay any mind to the outburst and walked in the other direction.
“We were all bitching too much at the officials. Rick Brunson was great,” head coach Mike Brown said after the Knicks’ win. “He told me to shut the hell up, and he told the rest of the team to be quiet and leave the officials alone. It was great of him because we were all kind of losing our minds.”
The Knicks were trailing 37-32 at the time it occurred, and it came after Brunson seemed to be in some discomfort for the second time in the game.
Kornet very clearly landed on Brunson’s ankle and he was quick to react in pain.
Brunson grabbed at his ankle while on the ground and then was seen limping back to the Knicks bench during the timeout.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) stares down referee Scott Foster (l.) during the second quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Spurs on June 3, 2026. ABC
The Spurs’ Luke Kornet (7) steps on the ankle of Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the second quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026. ABCHe did remain in the game.
Earlier in the game, Brunson had to be subbed out after he was knocked into by Harrison Barnes, who seemed to hit Brunson’s right knee.
Mikal Bridges came into the game with 1:27 left in the first quarter, but Brunson returned to the game with roughly eight minutes left in the second quarter.
