NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2026-06-09 06:50:43
NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2026-06-09 06:50:43
NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2026-06-09 06:50:43
NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2026-06-09 06:50:43
Wembanaya stars as Spurs trim Knicks' Finals lead
Victor Wembanyama scored 32 points as the San Antonio Spurs cut the New York Knicks' lead in the NBA Finals to 2-1 with a 115-111 win at Madison Square Garden.
US President Donald Trump, in the crowd as the iconic venue hosted its first Finals game since 1999, was booed when he was shown on the big screen during the national anthem.
He is the first sitting president to attend the championship series.
Wembanyama, whose errors cost the Spurs in game two, added eight rebounds and six assists.
He was supported by 23 points from Stephon Castle and 13 off the bench from Dylan Harper as the Spurs avoided going 3-0 down - a deficit from which no team has recovered in the Finals.
Defeat ended a 13-game winning streak for the Knicks - two short of the Golden State Warriors' 2017 record - as they chase their first championship since 1973.
Only five of the 37 teams who have led 2-0 have failed to win the Finals.
"We've done what we were supposed to do but the job is absolutely not done," said Wembanyama.
"We're not even halfway. The hardest is yet to come."
The Spurs trailed 64-57 at half-time but went ahead with a 35-point third quarter.
A three-pointer from Castle with one minutes 53 seconds left extended their lead to 111-104 and - unlike in game one, when they came unstuck against a late surge from the Knicks - the Spurs held firm.
Although OG Anunoby hit a late three-pointer to cut the Spurs' lead to two points, Castle scored two free throws in the final 10 seconds.
Anunoby finished with 28 points and Jalen Brunson 32 for the Knicks.
The best-of-seven series continues at the same venue on Wednesday (01:30 BST, Thursday) before the teams return to San Antonio for game five on Saturday (01:30, Sunday).
Victor Wembanyama found clarity drawing in New York park, then used it to beat Knicks
"I'm still very blurry. That's the whole problem."
That's how Victor Wembanyama described himself in the immediate aftermath of Game 2, trying to get his head around the disastrous final few possessions that put the Spurs in an 0-2 hole. He said at the time he needed to slow his mind down and get some clarity.
"The Playoffs, it's like a — I don't know how to say that word — a whirlwind. It's hard to put your head out of the water," Wembanyama said of his headspace. "Sometimes I don't even go to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind."
Wembanyama took that time off before Game 3 and found his clarity sitting in Gramercy Park in New York on Sunday, sketching a picture of a statue (of Edwin Booth, legendary Shakespearean actor of the mid-1800s, although unfortunately for him, he is better remembered as the brother of John Wilkes Booth).
Victor Wembanyama drawing with his sister in a park in NYC
— Wemby Alien Era (@WembyAlienEra) June 8, 2026
(: hoopsnation on IG)#GoSpursGo#PorVidapic.twitter.com/FclI2m7TVv
"I drew the statue in that park..." Wemby said.
Was the drawing any good?
"Not bad. Pretty good," Wembanyama said with a smile.
His performance in Game 3 was more than pretty good.
A clear-headed Wembanyama went out and scored 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, had eight rebounds and six assists, plus three blocks. He was the best player on the court.
Because of Wembanyama — and 23 from Stephon Castle on a bounce-back night for him, too — the Spurs have their first win in this Finals series, beating the Knicks 115-111 on Monday night. New York still leads the series 2-1, and Game 4 on Wednesday night becomes massive.
"Wemby played great," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "He had probably seven lob dunks because we didn't follow attention to detail and try to take that away."
Getting to the rim
Mental clarity was part of it, but for San Antonio, it was also something simple (but not always easy to do): Getting back to what they see as their style of basketball.
"I thought we made some strides in terms of the ball movement and playing with our teammates, setting screens, trusting the basketball would find the right guy for our shot," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "I thought we showed better poise at times."
San Antonio made a point of getting Wembanyama going at the rim early — his first four baskets came within four feet of the rim. However, it wasn't just him — Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox all were touching paint on drives.
"Just us playing to our strengths, not allowing [New York packing the paint] to stop our aggressiveness getting to the paint," Johnson said. "Just understanding when we're being aggressive and touching the paint, it's not always for us to score. I feel like that opens up passing lanes and puts them in rotations. I feel like when we change sides and move the ball like that, especially after a paint touch, I feel like we're pretty hard to stop."
AREA 51'S FIRST NBA FINALS WIN
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2026
Wemby: 32 PTS
Castle: 23 PTS
First teammates, age 22 or younger, to score 20+ PTS in an NBA Finals game! pic.twitter.com/hv50OVlSSR
Where Wembanyama really took over was in the fourth quarter, when he scored 10 points and had a key block on Landry Shamet at the rim.
Jalen Brunson has dominated the court quarters in this series, and he had a dozen in the fourth in this one, but the difference in Game 3 was that Wemby had help, and Brunson did not. De'Aaron Fox had six points in the fourth quarter and hit the dagger jumper with 12.2 seconds left, while Dylan Harper scored five points and hit clutch free throws. For the Knicks, OG Anunoby scored six in the fourth quarter, but the rest of the team shot 1-of-15.
With his clear head and big game, Wembanyama earned a vulgar chant from the Knicks faithful, one usually reserved for the Knicks' biggest villains, including Reggie Miller and, more recently, Trae Young. Is that now becoming Wembanyama?
"I guess," he said with a shrug, and then joked, "I'm nowhere near Trae Young level, though."
Another clear-headed performance like this one and another win on Wednesday night and Wemby will reach Young's lofty level, and more.
Donald Trump fires back at ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith
President Donald Trump made an appearance at Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks hosted the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, which the Spurs won 115-111 on Monday, June 8.
It was a spectacle with the secret service and heightened protocol with Trump in the building. He was showered with boos when his face was shown on the arena jumbotron during the national anthem.
If that didn't anger New Yorkers enough, the Knicks losing surely did it. And one particular individual is casting the blame on Trump for showing up.
ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith said during an episode of his podcast "The Stephen A. Smith Show" that he would blame Trump for his attendance at the game.
He explained how Trump going to the game would cause a stir with the added security and procedures in place that disrupted the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden.
"This is about an indivual engaging in a level of narcissism that really rakes my freakin' nerves. He's got no businesss here tonight. It has nothing to do with politics," Smith said. "It was everything to do with the ferver that exists around the New York Knicks and he is disrupting everything the Knicks have been vibing with."
After Game 3, Trump was asked about the game, the boos he received and particularly Smith's comments on the podcast.
"I think mostly cheers, it was loud and it was very enthusiastic," Trump said.
He continued after being asked about what Smith had to say about his attendance.
"I think he's a nice guy, but you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I'm not sure that Stephen has that. I don't think he does actually," Trump told reporters.
New York hosts San Antonio with 2-1 series lead
San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -1.5; over/under is 216.5
NBA FINALS: Knicks lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals with a 2-1 lead in the series. The Spurs won the last meeting 115-111 on Tuesday, led by 32 points from Victor Wembanyama. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 32.
The Knicks are 30-10 in home games. New York has a 9-4 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Spurs are 30-12 on the road. San Antonio is second in the Western Conference with 47.0 rebounds per game led by Wembanyama averaging 11.5.
The Knicks average 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 13.0 per game the Spurs allow. The Spurs are shooting 48.3% from the field, 2.3% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brunson is averaging 26 points and 6.8 assists for the Knicks. Landry Shamet is averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
De'Aaron Fox is scoring 18.6 points per game and averaging 3.8 rebounds for the Spurs. Julian Champagnie is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 9-1, averaging 115.6 points, 45.6 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.6 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 102.2 points per game.
Spurs: 5-5, averaging 110.3 points, 46.1 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.4 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: None listed.
Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Padres rally for 6-2 win after the Reds botch 3 straight bunts in the 7th inning
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Gavin Sheets hit a tying double and then scored the go-ahead run while the Cincinnati Reds misplayed three consecutive bunts by the Padres in the seventh inning, sending San Diego to a 6-2 victory Monday night.
Freddy Fermin homered in his third consecutive game and drove in two runs for the Padres, who were struggling offensively for yet another night until they found a highly unorthodox way out of their slump and into just their third win in 14 games.
After Sheets doubled in Xander Bogaerts to chase starter Andrew Abbott (4-4), the next three San Diego batters bunted against Tejay Antone — and the Reds couldn’t field any of them.
Jase Bowen and Samad Taylor got credit for singles when Antone and his infielders failed to play their bunts cleanly, with Sheets scoring the tiebreaking run on what appeared to be a safety squeeze attempt by Taylor.
Antone was then charged with a fielding error on Fermin’s bunt, although the reliever shook it off and escaped the bases-loaded, nobody-out jam.
Bowen and Taylor, the Padres’ two recent outfield callups, contributed more than just big bunts.
Taylor added a two-run single in the Padres’ three-run eighth, while Bowen had two hits and stole the first two bases of his major league career. Taylor also threw out Matt McLain at home to end the second.
Abbott pitched four-hit ball into the seventh with six strikeouts for the Reds, who have lost five straight and nine of 11.
Walker Buehler held the Reds to one run despite giving up eight hits over 4 2/3 rocky innings.
Fermin homered in the third to extend an improbable power streak for a catcher who had only 20 homers in his five-year major league career.
The Reds went ahead in the sixth when Noelvi Marte singled and scored on Edwin Arroyo’s sacrifice fly against winner Adrian Morejon (5-1).
Up next
Lucas Giolito (2-1, 4.86 ERA) makes his second home start for the Padres on Tuesday night against the Reds’ Chase Burns (7-1, 2.05 ERA), who hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his nine starts while going 6-0 since April 10.
Late Offense, Clutch Defense Lead Astros to 5-4 Victory Over Angels in 10
The Astros Road trip began with a little extra flavor for all, going 10 innings from Anaheim and in the process, producing one of the bigger comebacks of the year. From Jose Altuve’s daring baserunning to Brice Matthews one hop rocket throw to home plate, negating a slide by Mike Trout, it was late night heroics all around. Houston would tie it in the 9th and ultimately win it in the 10th. Astros 5. Angels 4.
Spencer Arrighetti entered Monday Night having never defeated the Angels during his career and although he didn’t get the win, the Astros picked up their 31st victory. The win ultimately went to Josh Hader in relief. Arrighetti cruised with a six-pitch opening frame, but then the wheels began to fall off in the second inning thanks to a series of miscues, rekindling flashbacks of Arrighetti’s hard luck fourth inning last week versus Pittsburgh.
Jo Adell would lead off things in the second inning, reaching first base after being hit by an errant pitch. He scored the game’s first run courtesy of ex-Astro Trey Mancini, who registered an RBI single in his first big league game in three years. In total, nine different batters would come to the plate with a combination of walks and hits, even Logan O’Hoppe getting in on the action with a double that drove in a pair. Final damage was thirty-six pitches thrown and three runs on the board. It’s now six times over his last ten starts that Arrighetti has walked at least four batters.
Houston would get on the board in the top of the fourth after Yordan Alvarez reached on an error by Mike Trout and scored thanks to Christian Walker’s RBI Double. Doubles would be the theme of the night for Houston, as their first six hits would all be two baggers. Lamont Wade Jr., in just his fourth game with the club, would register an RBI double, scoring Isaac Paredes in the 6th inning. Wade would exit moments later with tightness to his right hamstring. Brice Matthews would come in as a pinch runner and score when Cam Smith doubled him home, tying things at three.
De Los Santos would come on in relief and give up a solo shot to Zach Neto in the 7th. For Neto, it would be his 13th home run of the year. However, Christian Walker would secure the Astros first single of the night, in a clutch moment in the top of the 9th, with a hit to center, scoring Jeremy Pena, tying things at 4-4. In the 10th inning, on a fielding error by Logan O’Hoppe, Jose Altuve would score the winning run. Bryan Abreu would come in and close the door earning his 4th save.
Odds and Ends.
Kai-Wei Teng will take the hill for the Astros in game two as they look to even the series. He’ll be opposed by Walbert Urena who has an identical 3-4 record as Teng for the season.
Christian Walker has now registered a hit in six of his last seven games. Collin Price notched his first official career hit with a double in the top of the fifth inning.
In what will undoubtedly be a theme this summer, Yordan Alvarez received yet another intentional walk. He leads all of MLB with nine.
Atlanta Braves News: Trade Thoughts, 2026 Draft Prospect Rankings, More
Mark Bowman of MLB.com tackled the subject that has grown more popular over the past few weeks: a potential trade of Tarik Skubal by the struggling Detroit Tigers. For the Braves specifically, Bowman concluded that while the Braves would obviously love to acquire Skubal, the high prospect cost for a rental likely does not make sense. As an alternative, Bowman laid out some options that would be at more reasonable prospect costs and can be controlled beyond this year.
Make no mistake, the Braves have every reason to prioritize going after a starter with a bit more reliable outlook in playoff scenarios than Spencer Strider or Bryce Elder currently. Alex Anthopoulos likely agrees with this sentiment, as he has been in pursuit for that exact talent for years. However, he is going to have go to back to his Toronto days and outside his current comfort zone to pay the prospect price to get such a pitcher. One way to better the chances of Anthopoulos doing exactly that is for any acquired pitcher to have years of control. While there may not be many available options that fit that criteria as of now, Anthopoulos will explore all avenues to get another significant arm in the Braves rotation.
Braves News
The week ahead for the Braves includes the White Sox and the Mets, two teams going in opposite directions of their expected 2026 seasons.
Matt Powers looks at the top 200 prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft.
MLB News
Christopher Sanchez continued his incredible start to the season as the Phillies beat the Blue Jays.
Astros GM Dana Brown made it pretty clear the Astros do not intend to trade Jeremy Pena or Yordan Alvarez.
MLB Injury Report: Tarik Skubal nearing return after sharp rehab start, Aaron Judge goes down with rib injury
In this week’s Injury Report, Tarik Skubal is on his way back just one month following elbow surgery after dominating in his rehab outing. The Yankees will be without reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge for at least the next 4-6 weeks. And Dylan Cease returns to the mound for the Blue Jays on Tuesday. That and more as we cover the latest relevant injury news around baseball.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Tarik Skubal (elbow)
Incredibly, Skubal was back on the mound for his first rehab start just one month after undergoing surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow. He made that start on Sunday with High-A West Michigan, striking out six batters over five scoreless innings on 54 pitches while touching 99 mph on his fastball. There’s a very good chance Skubal is back in the Tigers’ rotation this weekend.
Jordan Walker’s breakout is fueling the biggest surprise in MLB this season.
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D.J. Short
Aaron Judge (ribcage)
Judge had been held out of last Tuesday’s lineup and deemed day-to-day with shoulder soreness, but when it was reported he’d see a specialist, it raised cause for concern. After undergoing additional imaging, Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right rib cage. There’s no timeline for a return, but the 34-year-old superstar will be reevaluated in 4-6 weeks, with full expectation that he will return sometime this season. There’s just zero clarity as to when. Judge hadn’t been off to the best start by his standards, hitting .248 with 17 homers, but it’s a huge blow to the Yankees and fantasy managers nonetheless. Spencer Jones takes his spot on the active roster, for now. But Jasson Domínguez, currently on a rehab assignment and working his way back from a shoulder injury, could be activated in the coming days.
Dylan Cease (hamstring)
Cease is ready to return after missing the last couple of weeks with a strained left hamstring. He required just one rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo, giving up five runs with six strikeouts over four innings. The 30-year-old right-hander will take the mound on Tuesday against the Phillies in Toronto. Cease was in the middle of a strong bounceback season before he was stalled with the hamstring issue, posting a 3.05 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 92 strikeouts over 62 innings.
Konnor Griffin (forearm)
It was originally thought that Griffin would only need the minimum stint on the injured list to recover from a right flexor tendon strain. After a second opinion with Dr. Keith Meister, which never tends to produce good news, Griffin will miss a bit more time than expected. How much more time he’ll miss is still up in the air, but the team is going to err on the side of caution with their 20-year-old budding star.
Bobby Witt Jr. (knee)
Witt’s status will be one to keep a close eye on. He departed Sunday’s game against the Twins in the seventh inning with right knee soreness. The issue apparently progressed throughout the game, and he was hoping to finish out the day with Monday’s off day coming, but was unable to continue. It should be considered a day-to-day situation, but Witt will undergo further evaluation leading up to Tuesday’s series opener against the Rangers.
J.P. Crawford (hand)
Crawford took a 95 mph fastball off his right hand and was removed on Friday against the Tigers. X-rays came back negative for any fractures, but after sitting out both games over the weekend, he ended up on the 10-day injured list with a right hand contusion. It seems like it will be a minimum stint for Crawford. Still, the timing isn’t great, as he was really heating up at the dish, hitting .333 with four homers over his last 11 games. Second baseman Cole Young steps into the leadoff spot in Crawford’s absence, with Colt Emerson sliding over to shortstop. Emerson missed Monday’s contest with back tightness.
Hunter Brown (shoulder)
Brown made his third rehab start on Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land, giving up one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. He tossed 57 pitches, touching 98.9 mph and inducing 10 whiffs. Brown is in line for another rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday to continue building his pitch count. Barring any setbacks, Wednesday’s start should be Brown’s last rehab outing before joining the Astros rotation next week.
Max Muncy (hand)
Jacob Wilson (shoulder)
Wilson has been out for a month now with a left shoulder subluxation. He started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday and will likely need at least a handful of games before he’s ready to return. Meanwhile, the A’s got Max Muncy back from the injured list on Monday after he missed nearly six weeks with a fractured finger.
Ryan Helsley (elbow)
Helsley has progressed to facing hitters in live batting practice. He should be cleared to begin a rehab assignment following Monday’s session. Helsley has been sidelined since late April with right elbow inflammation. He’ll presumably need a handful of rehab outings before he’s ready to return.
NBA Finals schedule, results after Game 3: How series shapes up after Spurs' win
We have a series!
The San Antonio Spurs snatched Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals from the New York Knicks 115-111 on Monday, June 8, raining on the parade of the first championship matchup at Madison Square Garden since 1999.
Victor Wembanyama had 32 points and eight rebounds in redemption from throwing a bad pass that turned into the Knicks' winning point in Game 2. The Spurs earned their first victory of the series cutting into New York's lead 2-1 and did so in front of President Donald Trump.
According to the NBA, this is only the second time in NBA history the first three games of the championship series were won by the road team. The only other time was in 1993 when the Chicago Bulls ultimately beat the Phoenix Suns in six games.
The NBA Finals stay in New York for Game 4, which tips off on Wednesday, June 10.
Here's the NBA Finals scores and schedule after Game 3:
2026 NBA Finals schedule
Every game of the NBA Finals starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. All matchups will be broadcast on ABC and can also be streamed on Fubo.
*- if necessary
- Game 1: Wednesday, June 3 | New York Knicks 105, San Antonio Spurs 95
- Game 2: Friday, June 5 | New York Knicks 105, San Antonio Spurs 104
- Game 3: Monday, June 8 | San Antonio Spurs 115, New York Knicks 111
- Game 4: Wednesday, June 10 | San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
- Game 5: Saturday, June 13 | New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
- *Game 6: Tuesday, June 16 | San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
- *Game 7: Friday, June 19 | New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Finals schedule, results after Spurs beat Knicks in Game 3
What Spurs’ Game 3 win means: NBA Finals suddenly wide open as momentum shifts
NEW YORK — The San Antonio Spurs might have felt like they were living in the movie "Groundhog Day," but they made sure not to play a starring role in any more sequels.
For the third consecutive game, the Spurs blew a double-digit first-quarter lead, but this time their composure down the stretch – and some sloppy play by the New York Knicks – gave them a much-needed win to get them back into the NBA Finals after two straight home losses while snapping New York's 13-game playoff winning streak.
It won’t be "Knicks in four" after all.
San Antonio’s 115-111 win in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden was not aesthetically pleasing. The Spurs were outrebounded but, at least for one night, there is a sense of relief that they, too, can break a championship drought.
This is the second time ever – and the first time since 1993 – that the road team has won three consecutive games.
Game 4 is Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Spurs did everything right in the first 12 minutes, while sprinting to an early 12-point lead. They passed the ball with efficiency, found open teammates, and let Victor Wembanyama cook with easy buckets inside and ridiculous alley-oops that would put Stretch Armstrong to shame.
San Antonio had 11 assists on 14 made field goals in the first quarter. Those 11 assists for the Spurs were the most in a first quarter of an NBA Finals game since the Golden State Warriors also had 11 in Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018.
Wembanyama was excellent, with a game-high 32 points, adding eight rebounds and six assists, as all five San Antonio starters scored in double figures. Wembanyama became the third-youngest player to score 30 or more points in an NBA Finals game behind Magic Johnson (20 years, 276 days – 42 points vs 76ers in Game 6 of 1980), Alvin Adams (21 years, 316 days – 33 points vs Celtics in Game 3 of 1976).
New York did everything it could to help in San Antonio’s cause.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points, and OG Anunoby added 28 for the Knicks, who lost for the first time in 46 days after their Game 3 defeat in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks.
The energy of the sold-out Madison Square Garden left within the first few minutes, as the Spurs scored the first seven points of the game and made eight of their first 10 shots. Not to mention the annoyance of many Knicks fans who had to show up to the game two hours early and adhere to strict security procedures upon entering "The World’s Most Famous Arena" early after President Trump and his entourage descended upon the city to take in the game.
After booing Trump during the national anthem, the Knicks faithful turned their jeers on the officials. New York committed four fouls in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, prompting a barrage of free throws for the rest of the game and constant chants of "refs, you suck."
New York took control in the late stages of the second quarter, using several spurts and poor San Antonio shooting to claw back and take its first lead of the game at 50-49 on a Brunson 3-pointer, part of an 11-3 run that wiped away a double-digit deficit.
But that momentum left as soon as the Knicks came out of the locker room.
Two straight turnovers to start the third quarter for the Knicks, a four-point play by Julian Champagnie, and a flagrant foul on the closeout quickly erased most of New York’s seven-point halftime lead.
New York went scoreless and committed four fouls in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, leading to a barrage of free throws the rest of the game, along with chants of "bulls---." San Antonio committed 21 fouls, and the Knicks shot 22 free throws. New York committed 23 fouls, sending the Spurs to the line 32 times.
Stephon Castle’s last of his 23 points, a 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining, all but sealed the deal, and De’Aaron Fox’s jumper in the lane with 12 seconds left sent the sell-out Madison Square Garden crowd to the exits.
The thing that carried the Knicks to their 13-game playoff winning streak was missing in Game 3: balanced scoring. Mikal Bridges scored only two points in 29 minutes, and Karl-Anthony Towns was outplayed by Wembanyama, with a pedestrian 11 points and eight rebounds. Towns spent most of his night in foul trouble and was not aggressive attacking the rim, settling for outside shots.
For the Spurs to repeat the trick and make their Groundhog’s Day play turn into another positive, they will need to muck up the game once again, relying on Wembanyama's scoring and his constant presence in the lane. The defensive player of the year had three blocks and affected a dozen other shots, and did his best to intimidate any Knicks player who wanted to score in the paint.
The series will extend to at least five games, and if the Knicks can win the next two games (Game 5 is Saturday in San Antonio), the title drought since 1973 will be a thing of the past.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Spurs’ Game 3 win means: NBA Finals suddenly back in play