The San Antonio Spurs received a timely boost ahead of their season’s biggest game.
Reserve center Luke Kornet is available to play in Game 5 of the NBA Finals after being listed as questionable with an illness a day earlier, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said during his pregame media availability Saturday.
“He’s been sick, but he’s getting better and he’ll be available tonight,” Johnson told reporters.
The update gives San Antonio additional frontcourt depth as it attempts to stave off elimination against the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center.
The Knicks lead the series 3-1 and are one win away from capturing their first NBA championship since 1973.
Kornet’s Availability Eases Pressure on Victor Wembanyama
GettySan Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) battles New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) for position during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
While Kornet has not played a major statistical role in the Finals, his availability carries significance for a Spurs team that leaned heavily on Victor Wembanyama during Game 4.
The 22-year-old superstar logged 44 minutes in San Antonio’s stunning 107-106 loss Wednesday, his highest workload of the series and one of his heaviest minute totals of the postseason.
Wembanyama finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds but struggled down the stretch as New York mounted a historic comeback. He shot 9-of-25 from the field and managed just eight points after halftime while going 3-for-14 from the floor in the second half.
Following the defeat, Johnson acknowledged the Spurs had extended Wembanyama’s minutes because of the game’s stakes.
“He had a few more minutes tonight because we were trying to put the game away,” Johnson said after Game 4. “With two days after this, what was at stake, we wanted to win the game and try to put it away.”
Instead, San Antonio watched a 29-point lead evaporate in what became the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Veteran Center Could Provide Needed Rotation Stability
Kornet played only four minutes in Game 4 and logged just 58 seconds after halftime. It marked his fewest minutes of the entire postseason and highlighted San Antonio’s limited frontcourt rotation during New York’s comeback.
The veteran’s availability does not necessarily guarantee a larger role, but it gives Johnson another option against the Knicks’ physical frontcourt featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
Robinson, in particular, has altered the series with his rebounding and rim protection, while Towns has forced San Antonio’s big men into difficult defensive assignments both inside and on the perimeter.
Having Kornet available could help reduce some of the burden on Wembanyama, who has shouldered nearly all of the interior responsibilities throughout much of the Finals.
Spurs Face Win-or-Go-Home Situation
The challenge facing San Antonio extends beyond personnel.
The Spurs must regroup after suffering one of the most devastating defeats in NBA Finals history.
“I think it’s going to go one of two ways,” Wembanyama said following Game 4. “The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we’re going to do.”
Now, with Kornet cleared to play and the season hanging in the balance, the Spurs have at least regained one piece of their frontcourt depth.
Whether that proves enough to extend the series remains to be seen.
A loss would hand the Knicks their first NBA title in more than five decades. A victory would send the Finals back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 and give San Antonio another chance to complete its recovery from a historic collapse.
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