yahoo - 6/4/2026 5:57:25 AM - GMT (+2 )
Playing in his first NBA Finals on Wednesday night, it didn't take long for San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper to make an impact.
Although the Spurs lost Game 1 to the New York Knicks, 105-95, Harper delivered an impressive 16-point performance off the bench and set a pair of records in the process.
Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft who turned 20 in March, became the youngest player in Finals history to score at least 10 points in a game. Harper has now scored 251 points during the 2026 playoffs, passing David Robinson's 243 points for most points in a single postseason by a Spurs rookie.
Right from Game 1's opening tip, Harper played with a poise and intensity that belied his inexperience on the NBA's biggest stage. In the first quarter, he shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and scored 10 points in just six minutes. According to ESPN Research, it was the most points by a rookie in the first quarter of Game 1 of the Finals since the play-by-play era started in 1998.
Harper's early scoring outburst helped the Spurs end the first quarter up 27-19, the only quarter in which they outscored the Knicks.
The only other Spurs rookie besides Harper to score double figures in a Finals game is Manu Ginobili, who did it three times in 2003.
Magic Johnson holds the rookie record for most points scored in an NBA Finals game, which he set in 1980 when he scored 42 points and delivered the Los Angeles Lakers the championship with a decisive Game 6 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dylan Harper stats: Spurs rookie sets records in NBA Finals debut
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