San Antonio Spurs host Game 1 Wednesday

The San Antonio Spurs will host the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Wednesday, June 3, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The NBA’s official playoff schedule lists tipoff for 8:30 p.m. Eastern, which is 7:30 p.m. local time, and ABC is carrying the game. The matchup opens a best-of-seven series between the Western Conference champion Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Knicks. NBA.com and multiple schedule previews published since May 30 list San Antonio as the home team for Games 1 and 2. ### Why is Game 1 in San Antonio? The NBA schedule places Game 1 in San Antonio because the Spurs hold home-court advantage in the Finals. NBA schedule pages and series previews list the first two games at Frost Bank Center, with Games 3 and 4 moving to Madison Square Garden in New York. USA Today and Yahoo Sports previews both show the same sequence: June 3 and June 5 in San Antonio, then June 8 and June 10 in New York. (nba.com) San Antonio reached the Finals after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference finals, according to playoff coverage published Tuesday. The Knicks advanced out of the East to set up the Finals matchup, which several outlets described as a rematch of the 1999 championship series. (usatoday.com) ### What is the schedule for the rest of the series? Wednesday, June 3, is the opener, and Friday, June 5, is Game 2, with both games set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC, according to NBA.com and published schedule rundowns. Game 3 is scheduled for Monday, June 8, and Game 4 for Wednesday, June 10, both in New York. If necessary, Game 5 would be June 13 in San Antonio, Game 6 would be June 16 in New York, and Game 7 would be June 19 in San Antonio. (msn.com) NBC Sports and CBS Sports previews both list the same Game 1 start time and venue. Local San Antonio outlets KSAT and KENS 5 also published the Finals schedule after the matchup was set. ### Which players are at the center of this series? Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson are the headliners entering Game 1. (nba.com) Preview coverage from CBS Sports and ESPN framed the Finals around Wembanyama, San Antonio’s centerpiece, and Brunson, the Knicks’ lead guard and primary offensive engine. That player-versus-player framing has carried through betting previews and matchup stories published ahead of the opener. (nbcsports.com) The Spurs and Knicks split their regular-season meetings 1-1, according to NBC Sports’ playoff preview. That result does not determine the Finals, but it gives the series a recent on-court reference point ahead of Wednesday night’s opener. ### What should viewers watch for on Wednesday night? (cbssports.com) Game 1 is the first NBA Finals game of 2026 and the first of up to seven meetings between the teams. ABC has the national broadcast, and the listed tip time is 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Local coverage in San Antonio has emphasized that Frost Bank Center will also host Game 2 on Friday before the series travels to New York. (nbcsports.com) Friday, June 5, is the next scheduled date on the official Finals calendar. The Knicks and Spurs then resume on Monday, June 8, at Madison Square Garden for Game 3, according to the NBA schedule. (nba.com)