Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs walked off their home court disappointed on Wednesday night, but the young star is not letting one loss shake his confidence. The New York Knicks defeated the Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals to take a 1-0 series lead. Even after a difficult shooting night and a late collapse by San Antonio, Wembanyama made it clear that panic is not part of the plan. Instead, he believes the Spurs have enough experience and talent to respond quickly in Game 2.

Victor Wembanyama Remains Confident Despite Spurs' Game 1 Loss To Knicks

The Spurs looked in control for much of the night and even built a 14-point lead in the third quarter. However, the momentum shifted as Jalen Brunson took over for New York, finishing with a game-high 30 points. The Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run and stole home-court advantage in the process.

Wembanyama finished with 26 points, but the numbers did not tell the full story. He shot just 28 percent from the field and made only 22 percent of his three-point attempts. After the game, the French star openly accepted responsibility. "I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that. … I think we let that one go," Wembanyama said.

Still, his confidence never changed. "We've been down in a series before. Never in the Finals, obviously. But I'm not kicking myself about anything, really. I'm not worried in the slightest," he said. With the Spurs now looking ahead to Game 2, his message was simple: the team knows it can play much better.

NBA Finals Game 1 Showed Why Victor Wembanyama Looked Exhausted Late

For most of the postseason, Wembanyama has looked nearly unstoppable. But in the closing minutes of Game 1, something felt different. As the pressure increased and every possession mattered, the Spurs star appeared to be running low on energy after carrying a heavy workload throughout the game.

That became clear in the final minute. Wembanyama lost the ball during a key possession and later missed a three-pointer. According to reporting from The Athletic, the Knicks' physical defense and San Antonio's strategy of using Wembanyama as a roaming defender demanded constant movement on both ends of the floor. The effort helped slow Karl-Anthony Towns, but it also took a toll on the Spurs star.

Even so, Wembanyama believes the fixes are simple. According to Yahoo Sports, he said, "It's almost not like I have anything to figure out. It's almost like I have to play normal, not even good [in Game 2]." His confidence is backed by results. Game 1 may have slipped away, but the Spurs still believe their best basketball is ahead of them, which is exactly why Wembanyama's response matters as this series moves forward.