Category: Basketball

The Spurs didn’t guard the Knicks' inbounder as they were looking to avoid blowing a 27-point second-half lead and defend their one-point advantage with 5.7 seconds remaining in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

In fact, San Antonio never laid eyes on OG Anunoby after he tossed the ball to Jalen Brunson and never put a body in front of him, allowing him to ghost down the lane and out-jump two defenders to tip in the game-deciding bucket with 1.2 seconds remaining to give the Knicks a 107-106 victory and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

“He got a pretty good look,” Anunoby said of Brunson’s long three-point jumper. “And I just went and crashed.”

And that crashing of the basket was something Knicks head coach Mike Brown emphasized to Anunoby before the game.

“I challenged a lot of our guys today, and OG was one of the guys I challenged,” Brown said after the improbable comeback win. 

“I told OG – as big, as strong, as athletic as he is – he's got to be a monster on the offensive glass tonight,” the head coach continued. “I don't know if there was a play bigger than any other play in the history of Knicks basketball. That was a huge offensive rebound, huge offensive rebound.

“He took on the challenge, and he went out and won the game for us, doing exactly what I called him out for during shootaround today.”

Why the emphasis on offensive rebounding? Perhaps because Anunoby, who averaged 1.3 offensive boards per game in the regular season and 1.2 per game in the previous rounds of the playoffs, had zero in the first three games of the NBA Finals.

With an outstretched arm and a free run down the lane, Anunoby got his first offensive rebound of the series 47 minutes and 58 seconds into Game 4.

“Right hand of God,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.

"This whole playoff run he’s been amazing,” Josh Hart said, “and he’s a winning player, and he went and made a winning play.”

When San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson was asked if he saw the tip-in as a great play by Anunoby or a defensive breakdown, he answered in one word: "Both."

The basket – making him 7-for-9 in the second half – gave him 33 points for the night on 10-for-15 shooting (7-for-9 from three) with four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, which came on the previous possession as he stufffed Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox right at the basket.

"He gave us a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA,” Towns said.

"OG being OG, just made a play," Brunson said.

With New York now one win away from ending a 53-year title drought, Anunoby’s tip is certainly going to be remembered forever.

“How he had to control it and tip it in, that has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Brown said. “It was just unbelievable.” 

Of course, the unflappable Anunoby was nonchalant about it.

“It feels cool, everyone is pretty excited, I’m excited, too,” he said before allowing himself a wide smile and nervous laugh. “We’re all excited, we’re enjoying it right now, but we’re just focused on the next game.”

Jose Alvarado was surrounded by microphones in the bowels of Madison Square Garden but spoke like he was still on the streets of Brooklyn. 

He spoke with loyalty toward Jalen Brunson, the recipient of a Game 3 cheap shot from Victor Wembanyama. He spoke without fear of the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 superstar, who stands at least 17 inches taller and outweighs him by at least 75 pounds. 

“He got away with that one,” Alvarado said before Game 4 of the NBA Finals. “That’ll be the last one.” 

Alvarado then backed it up in the best imaginable way. The boy who grew up a Knicks fan in Brooklyn became a franchise legend Wednesday night in Manhattan, stepping in for the struggling Mikal Bridges down the stretch and producing all of his eight points, three assists and two rebounds in the final 10 minutes of the Knicks’ record-setting 29-point comeback that resulted in a miraculous 107-106 win over the Spurs. 

“I’m glad on this stage, on a night like this, he was able to show the world what he can do when he’s given a chance,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “And Jose Alvarado clearly told everyone in the world tonight he’s a big-time player.” 

The Knicks acquired Alvarado, 28, from New Orleans on Feb. 5, hoping his experience and contagious energy would be the final piece to a championship team. 

Now, they are one win from the team’s first title in 53 years. 

“He checked into the game and changed the game,” Landry Shamet said. “That’s when things really started to shift. He’s a spark. The energy he brings for us … he was ready to go and stepped in and made some huge plays for us.” 

Before the fourth quarter, Alvarado’s only impact on the game came when he deliberately took out Wembanyama’s legs in the second quarter. Still, Brown turned to the once-undrafted guard with 9:46 to play and the Knicks trailing 93-75. 

Alvarado offered hope with a 3-pointer on his first touch. He then assisted Towns on a 3-pointer, grabbed a rebound, then dished to OG Anunoby for a 3-pointer, bringing the Knicks within four with 4:34 to play. 

Alvarado followed with a pretty spin move and finish in the lane, a 3-pointer with 3:07 remaining and an assist on a Jalen Brunson 3-pointer to put the Knicks down one with 2:21 remaining before grabbing a De’Aaron Fox miss with 10 seconds left, setting up Anunoby’s all-time tip-in. 

“I was about to cry, not because — obviously there is one more, but … I’m at Madison Square Garden, end of the fourth quarter, playing with these guys, and we’re playing for something special,” Alvarado said. “It’s really something. I couldn’t put it in words.” 

Alvarado is New York, a nonstop motor in a 6-foot frame, unafraid of the spotlight, unfazed by pressure. 

When the postseason began, his role was unclear. Brown didn’t take him off the bench in the first-round opener against the Hawks, then played Alvarado single-digit minutes in nine of 13 games despite the Knicks’ numerous blowouts. 

But Alvarado earned more time when the NBA Finals began, putting up seven points and four rebounds in 11 minutes in Game 1. In Game 3, he provided an early spark off the bench by quickly recording four points and three rebounds. 

In Game 4, he became a legend of the team he always loved. 

“Ain’t no other guy like him,” Mitchell Robinson said. “He’s like a little pest out there, doing his thing.”

“Welcome to New York” indeed, Ms. Swift. 

Taylor Swift was as shocked and elated as everyone else inside Madison Square Garden following the Knicks’ historic 107-106 comeback win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, and was even captured celebrating in the bowels of the arena before making her way out. 

The Post spotted Swift with her arms in the air and dancing as she made her way from her courtside seat on celebrity row. 

In another part of the video, Swift can be seen dancing and cheering with her frienda Este and Alana Haim and the Knicks 7th Ave Hype Squad, and at the end, she can be heard asking one of the Haim sisters, “What is life?” as she makes her way out of the arena. 

Taylor Swift celebrating Knicks NBA Finals Game 4 win! Presented by Tri State Cadillac. #sponsoredpic.twitter.com/5Cy22JxMfQ

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026

Swift was just one of the celebrity fans who made their way to MSG on Wednesday night.

They watched the Knicks erase a 29-point third-quarter deficit before OG Anunoby etched his name into the New York sports history books with a game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds left in the game. 

Swift and the Haim sisters sported blue T-shirts with orange writing that each featured different Knicks puns. 

The global icon’s shirt said, “Stevie Knicks.” 

Page Six first reported that Swift would be in attendance. A source told the outlet that the 14-time Grammy winner was a “huge fan of the Knicks and really wants to be there to support them.”

She had also appeared at another Knicks playoff game, during the Eastern Conference finals, when she attended Game 3 of the series against the Cavaliers with her fiancé and Cleveland native Travis Kelce.

Her appearance at MSG comes less than a week after Page Six broke the news that Swift and Kelce were set to wed at The World’s Most Famous Arena over the July 3 weekend. 

The wedding at Madison Square Garden adds another high-profile event to an already jam-packed summer in the New York area, which includes the World Cup just across the river at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Knicks were dead in the water practically the entire night in Wednesday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. They went into halftime down by 27 points (and were down by as many as 29 points) and even after a solid third quarter, New York still found itself trailing by 20 points with around seven minutes to go.

But the team, aided by the MSG crowd all night, just kept chipping away and somehow made it a one-point game in the final seconds. With one more chance to take the lead, Jalen Brunson heaved a deep three over Victor Wembanyama that bounced off the rim and it looked like the Spurs would escape New York with two wins and a series tied.

However, with nobody boxing him out, OG Anunoby, who inbounded the pass to Brunson right before his shot, came crashing inside the paint, leapt up and was able to execute the perfect tip-in that gave the Knicks the lead with 1.2 seconds left and then the eventual win.

Naturally, the raucous crowd went insane after seeing the ball go through the net and the Knicks radio call was equally as exciting:

The Knicks radio broadcast reacting to the game-winner by OG Anunoby and the missed potential game-winner by Castle.

They also get wet a bit, as Knicks fans celebrate about them, and the announcer used the term "soak it up New York" on purpose, in retaliation. pic.twitter.com/Bs74EmeHOw

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 11, 2026

The tip-in was the perfect end to Anunoby's magical night, in which he scored 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 7-of-9 from three. He and Brunson combined for 69 points and were the main catalysts for the comeback. 

Anunoby contributed on defense as well, blocking a shot by De'Aaron Fox on a fast-break attempt on the possession prior that would've given San Antonio a three-point lead with around 10 seconds left. The decision by Fox to shoot the ball and not hold on to it to kill the clock will be debated heavily, but Anunoby's ability to block the shot without fouling Fox was also stellar and another clutch play by the do-it-all forward.

Spurs radio play-by-play Dan Weiss and Spurs legend Sean Elliott were on the radio for San Antonio and were stunned by the Anunoby play.

"Sean, you said he's played the game of his life here tonight. And he may have just made the play of his life on that play," Weiss said.

"I thought he was the X-Factor coming into this series and he's untouched," Elliott responded. "You got two guys on the ball up top with Jalen Brunson. So you have numbers for the Knicks on the offensive glass and Anunoby goes down the paint for the tip." 

The Spurs radio announcers reacting to OG Anunoby game-winning tip in and the missed potential game-winner by Stephon Castle pic.twitter.com/3mgfIHJc6v

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 11, 2026

Victor Wembanyama is lucky to not be suspended for Game 5.

He picked up a flagrant foul for elbowing Karl-Anthony Towns in the third quarter of the Knicks’ epic 107-106 Game 4 win over the Spurs on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Now, the non-call in Game 3 has massive ramifications.

Wembanyama got away with shoving Jalen Brunson by his head area early in the Knicks’ Game 3 loss Monday night. No foul was called on the play. It was reviewed Tuesday, but the NBA opted against retroactively upgrading it to a flagrant.

Why that is so significant is because a player is suspended one game if they rack up four flagrant points across the postseason. A flagrant-1 foul means one point, a flagrant-2 foul means two points.

And Wembanyama was ejected for a flagrant-2 foul after elbowing Naz Reid in Game 4 of the second round against the Timberwolves. With Wednesday’s transgression, he is now at three flagrant points — meaning one more would result in a one-game suspension.

But if Monday’s shove had been upgraded to a flagrant, Wembanyama would be at four flagrant points and thus suspended for Game 5.

“Of course, I’m going to be more careful,” Wembanyama said Wednesday night. “But it’s not going to change much.”

Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s head of officiating, acknowledged on ESPN on Wednesday that the refs missed Wembanyama’s foul during the game but suggested it was unlikely to be upgraded to a flagrant.

“You always have to talk to your team about those situations,” coach Mike Brown said about the non-call in Game 3. “Not only do you talk to your team, which I did, but I talked to the officials, too. I said stuff like that can cause a fight. Obviously, they didn’t see it. There were other things. But those are things that I was talking about. At the end of the day, hopefully, like I said before, the officials will be consistent with what they see on both ends of the floor.”

There are two sides to a comeback the likes of which the basketball world saw on Wednesday night.

While the Knicks chipped away at a 29-point deficit in the second half, eventually taking the lead and holding on in improbable fashion, the Spurs allowed such a comeback.

But why and how did it happen?

Well, it was two-fold. The hot shooting that the Spurs enjoyed in the first half -- making 59.6 percent of their shots and 53.8 from three through the first two quarters -- led to 76 points. That was lost in the third and fourth quarters as San Antonio made just 20.5 percent of their shots and 17.6 percent from three. They scored just 30 points. 

They also turned the ball over nine times in the second half, when they only had two in the first. 

"To put as much good work into that first half as we did and get the lead that we had and not finish the job, it's disappointing to say the least," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. "We felt the momentum [shift]. Too much to overcome? I didn’t feel that way until the clock hit zero.... We got away from playing the brand of basketball that got us the lead. And then you saw At times, the aggressiveness and conviction taht we played with early on dissipated and they made some shots. We needed a couple of more tough-minded plays to finish the job."

"It began before that," Victor Wembanyama said of when the collapse started. "I can’t really explain it right now. Execution, greediness, of some sort. We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half." 

Wembanyama enjoyed 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting in the first half. In the second half, he scored just eight points on 3 of 14 shooting and missed two crucial free throws in the waning minutes. 

When the star center was asked about the feeling in the locker room, he described it as "painful."

"Feels like we worked too hard to give up our lead. It’s as simple as that. It just hurt," he said.

"It definitely hurt, angry. It’s all fuel for the fire for us," Spurs guard Dylan Harper, who finished with 21 points said. "We’re going to go out the next game with a sense of fire. And just move on to Game 5. Nothing we can do about it now."

The series shifts back to San Antonio as the Spurs face elimination. They've been in this situation before. In the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, the Spurs won Game 6 at home and a deciding Game 7 on the road to eliminate the defending champions. 

That experience paints Wembanyama's outlook on the series despite being down 1-3 in the series. And he believes his teammates will respond.

"It’s going to go one of two ways," Wembanyama said. "One of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one will be giving up. The good one will be getting stronger through this, getting more together and that’s what we’re going to do."

He added: "Holding each other accountable, communicating, not pointing fingers. After that, we either got it or we don’t. We’ver proven that we can surpass these difficulties but even though we haven’t been there it before, I’m convinced we are built this way. We’re going to get better from this and It’s going to tighten us up."

Game 5 takes place Saturday night with the Knicks looking to capture their first title in over 50 years.  

Victor Wembanyama was asked about the Spurs' second half collapse in Game 4

"Can't really explain it right now. Execution, greediness of some sort. We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half" pic.twitter.com/uMGFV6HR9m

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 11, 2026

The New York Knicksmade history in Game 4 of the NBA Finals when they overcame a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday, June 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Victor Wembanyama and the Western Conference champions put a smacking on the home team in the first half and built their 29-point lead. Then, they cooled down − starting the second half shooting 6-of-34 (17.6%) − the Defensive Player of the Year had a flagrant foul, and the Knicks kept chipping away. OG Anunoby hit the game-winning shot with 1.2 seconds left.

Anunoby finished with 33 points and Jalen Brunson added 36 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.

This was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and puts the Knicks up 3-1. It was the first home win of the series for either team. In a playoff series where the first three games were won by the road teams, the winner of Game 4 is 13-3 in the series.

Here are some other Knicks stats from the epic win:

• 29 points - largest comeback in NBA Finals history
• NBA teams were 4-750 in the playoffs when down by 20-plus points in the fourth quarter in the playoffs in the last 30 years (per NBA stats expert Keerthika Uthayakumar)
• The Knicks are 5-3 when down 20-plus points in the postseason the past two years. The rest of the NBA is 4-71 (per AP reporter Josh Dubow)

The Spurs had these shocking stats in the first half before giving up a 29-point lead:

• 14 - Most 3-pointers in a half in Finals history
  • Devin Vassell - 4
  • De'Aaron Fox- 3
  • Dylan Harper - 3
  • Stephon Castle - 1
  • Julian Champagnie - 1
  • Victor Wembanyama - 1
  • Carter Bryant - 1
• 76points - Third-highest scoring first half in Finals history (per ESPN)
• 76 points - Most points in the first half by a road team in Finals history
• 41-22 (19-point difference) - Largest first quarter lead by a road team in Finals history

Per the NBA, the previous record for most 3-point shots in a half was 13, which the Cleveland Cavaliers notched in 2017.

Wembanyama has had a historic playoffs, including swatting a record 12 blocks in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals and becoming the youngest player to notch 40-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

There is so much hype around Wemby that even Wendy's considered changing their name and menu to honor the rising star.

But maybe it's time for TGI Fridays to change its name to OG Anunoby's?

Game 5 of the NBA Finals will be at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 13 in San Antonio.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Key stats from Knicks' comeback over Spurs in NBA Finals Game 4

Everyone at Madison Square Garden was trying to figure out what just happened in the Knicks-Spurs Game 4 of the NBA Finals — but Charles Barkley and the “Inside the NBA” crew were just angry.

“We saw the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization,” Barkley said on the ESPN postgame show after the Spurs blew a 29-point lead and let the Knicks win 107-106.

“They had a [29]-point lead and took eight straight 3s. Like, that was some of the most mismanaged and stupid basketball. If you blow a [29]-point lead, the other team has to help you.”

The Spurs scored 30 points in the second half in an embarrassing offensive performance, hoisting brick after brick from beyond the arc after being unable to miss in the first half.

“The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game by doing some of the most stupid ass stuff I’ve ever seen on a basketball court,” Barkley concluded.

Barkley was also irate with Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox for driving for a layup that was blocked by Knicks guard OG Anunoby.

“De’Andre Fox, whatever his name is. De’Aaron Fox,” Barkley said. “That was a dumbass play. There was no reason for him to shoot that ball.”

Fox retrieved a Brunson missed shot and a deflection that looked to be an easy layup to go up 109-106.

“We saw the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization. … The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game.”

Charles Barkley after the Spurs allowed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history pic.twitter.com/Y7t4UZsVhU

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 11, 2026

Fox could have — and probably should have — pulled back and waited to get fouled by the Knicks, but Anunoby came flying in with a LeBron James-style block to give the Knicks another chance at glory on the offensive side.

“They had a 29-point lead, and they shot eight 3s in a row and never came close to losing any time on the clock, and you’re like ‘This game ain’t over yet,'” Barkley said.

“The Knicks got a Christmas gift in June tonight.”

Shaquille O’Neal agreed with Barkley’s sentiment, saying that the Spurs “got comfortable” in the second half.

The Knicks play for an NBA Finals title in Game 5 on Saturday in San Antonio.

The last time we saw Taylor Swift, she sat courtside rooting for Cleveland while her goon boyfriend snoozed on her shoulder, drowsy after housing some brews. Tonight, she made two wise corrections. She wore the orange and blue to root for the Knicks versus the Spurs, and she left the lughead home.

In a first-half abomination, the Knicks fell behind by 29 while the Spurs made the most first-half three-pointers in NBA Finals history. Everything sucked in the world. Even some Knicks fans booed—perhaps the same ones who were planning to take time off for the championship parade. The only thing, the only thing, that gave us any happiness was seeing the Wu-Tang Clan perform at halftime.

The Wu is crafty, though, and there are wizards among their ranks. After they sprinkled their magic on the court, something amazing occurred. The Knicks held the Spurs to just 14 points in the third quarter, giving us irrational hope that a comeback was possible . . . . Then, to conclude the single craziest half of basketball ever played, the Knicks held the Spurs to 16 fourth-quarter points, seized (and lost) a one-point lead, and won the game when OG Anunoby soared through the air to put back a Brunson miss with 1.2 seconds left.

In the largest comeback in Finals history, the Knicks won 107-106. They now lead the Finals 3-1 and head back to San Antonio for Game Five.

One criticism of Game Three was that Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t get his number called enough. It was generally expected that Mike Brown would address that tonight. For good reason, the Spurs wanted to keep Towns out of the offense. The easiest way to do that? Foul trouble. Hence, in the opening 24 seconds, De’Aaron Fox went straight at Towns and got a ticky-tac call. An inauspicious start, to quote Clyde the GOAT.

Tonight, Towns took the first two shots for the Knicks, using the second to draw a foul on Victor Wembanyama—before a challenge overturned it. Two fouls on Towns in under two minutes. With help from the officiating crew, Mitch Johnson’s plan was going exactly as planned. In fact, it was so effective that Towns would finish with even fewer shots tonight.

The Knicks missed 75% of their shots and coughed up the ball twice, falling behind by double-digits for the umpteenth time in the series. Barely three minutes into the contest, coach Mike Brown needed a timeout. From there, Stephon Castle dropped five to kill the Knicks’ momentum, cap an 8-0 run, and put the Spurs up by 12.

Mitchell Robinson was pressed into service early. After running up and down the court in this fast-paced game, he was ready for breathing treatments by the six-minute mark. Running out of centers, Ariel Hukporti was sent in, and Wemby promptly swished a long three in his face.

Everything the Spurs threw up found the bottom of the net. They had put 30 points on the board with four minutes remaining in the first. Meanwhile, the Knicks were clanging shots off their home irons. At least they were giving Wemby a little rough treatment.

Knicks are BULLYING Wemby 😭 pic.twitter.com/SfZlD4Au54

— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) June 11, 2026

Brown was forced to run quite a substitution carousel. When Hukporti committed a foul, Robinson trotted back in—but not for long, as Towns came back in at the three-minute mark. Also subbed out: Jalen Brunson at the four-minute mark, after missing all three field-goal attempts. He rested for a minute while Jose Alvarado contributed some exciting energy, then subbed back in. Brown was so desperate for bodies in the frontcourt that he even deployed the former Spur and rarely used Jeremy Sochan.

Note: the refs missed a goaltending call by Luke Kornet. Of course they did.

After working him for a basket, Wemby chirped at Mitch, telling him, “I’m in your head.” Running up the floor, Mitch popped him in the jaw with an elbow and was called for a flagrant-1 foul. (Cue the clip of Wemby palming the back of Brunson’s head and throwing him to the floor.) The Frenchman made both free throws, then Devin Vassell swished a jumper to take a 21-point lead.

Wemby going right at Mitchell Robinson 👀 pic.twitter.com/yHbBK8GyOV

— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2026

By the end of the quarter, Wembanyama and Vassell had combined for 25 points, and the Spurs led, 41-22.

The Knicks did not play with their usual physicality. How could they? The refs were looming over their shoulders with a whistle. All we want is consistency from the officials. The tentative play showed in the stats, e.g., the Spurs had zero turnovers to New York’s six by midway through the second quarter.

At the same point, the guests had attempted seven more shots than the home team—which is especially painful when the team taking more shots is also making more shots. The Spurs made everything, including 11 of their first 18 shots from deep. The Garden went very quiet.

Twelve different Knicks had played when Jordan Clarkson checked in at the 8:30 mark. Wembanyama sat around then, and a little daylight opened up in the paint. Looking overwhelmed, though, Towns got dinged for another loose-ball foul and had to sit with seven minutes to go. The Knicks finally got a steal when Brunson picked off a Castle pass for a pick-six. Immediately after, Hukporti blocked Castle, and Brunson ran the rebound up for another contested layup. That cut the deficit to 21 at the midway point, and Johnson called for time to kill the momentum.

Out of the break, Johnson reinserted Wembanyama. Smart move. The Spurs continued to grab all the loose balls and make their shots. Even though the Knicks were winning the boards, they were piling up enough bricks to build an elementary school. They fell behind by 29 points late in the second period. At intermission, the score was 76-49, the third-worst halftime deficit in Finals history. Some of the fans at MSG booed as the home team trudged off to the dressing room.

And then the Wu-Tang Clan took the stage:

Wu-Tang Clan sparking up the Knicks crowd. pic.twitter.com/gcKsTnyPEw

— Edilson J. Silva 🇨🇦🏀🇦🇴 (@edilsonbuzz) June 11, 2026

Through the half, the Spurs had shot 60% from the field and 54% from deep, making 14-of-26. They had 18 assists to New York’s seven and two turnovers to the Knicks’ eight. Our heroes actually won the rebounding battle and doubled the Spurs in offensive boards, but awful shooting squandered the advantage. How bad did they shoot? 41% overall and 33% from deep. They made four three-pointers to San Antonio’s 14, the most first-half three-pointers in NBA Finals history.

The Knicks stayed afloat only by getting to the line 23 times, yet even that edge was blunted by 65% free-throw shooting. When a team is getting outshot, outpassed, and turning the ball over four times as often, being down nearly 30 feels less like bad luck and more like a complete loss of control. Brunson led all scorers with 19 points (on 14 shots). Wemby had 16.

Brunson finished the game with 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting, plus seven assists, three steals, and just three turnovers in 44 minutes.

The Knicks picked up the pace to start the third quarter for a possession or two. Then Bridges was blocked, and Towns turned the ball over, and they fell behind by 29 again.

A break came when Wemby’s elbow caught Towns on the chin. It was deemed a flagrant-1. Towns made two freebies, the Spurs finally missed some shots, Anunoby (33 PTS, 10-15 FG, 7-9 3PT) dunked, and Brunson made a triple. After that 7-0 run, Johnson called for a timeout, trying to preserve his 22-point lead.

San Antonio coughed up the ball and threw a few more bricks. After making so many shots in the first half, they missed six of seven to start the third. Triples from Anunoby and Josh Hart reduced the differential to 16. Towns fouled again, sending Dylan Harper to the line for two freebies and sending himself to the bench with a sizable chunk of time left in the quarter.

Brunson and the Knicks would not be deterred. Cap hit Robinson with an alley-oop out of a timeout to make it 15. A Brunson turnover was flipped into a Vassell triple, but Anunoby answered with his own long ball.

Mikal Bridges was a dud for the second straight game, and Brown knew it. He subbed him out for Clarkson around the five-minute mark. Clarkson was too frantic, though, and made bad passes in traffic when the Knicks were threatening to make the score much more manageable. Nonetheless, they held their opponents to 14 points and closed the quarter down 90-75.

To start the fourth, Wemby lost the ball out of bounds (great) and Miles McBride missed again from deep (bad). Harper made a three, Wemby made one from the charity stripe, and New York trailed by 18.

Deuce was bad again (0 points, 0-4 FG), but there was plenty of disappointment to go around. By the nine-minute mark in the fourth, Bridges had five points on eight shots, Hart had six on three shots, and Towns had eight on three shots. The bench had contributed a total of seven points. The crowd cheered when Bridges dropped in a layup—at last—to make the score 95-80 with eight-and-a-half minutes left.

Bridges would come up soon after, and sit on the bench until the final six seconds.

The Knicks rebounded a Wemby miss, but Keldon Johnson poked the ball away from Brunson to regain possession. One step forward, two steps back. We held out hope for a miracle, but the Knicks seemed to be blowing too many chances to make it possible. But then Castle missed, Towns hit a Hail Mary triple while falling out of bounds for his first fourth-quarter points of the Finals, and the hole was 12. Castle made two free throws, Anunoby made a triple and picked off a Harper pass. Towns drove the lane to score a layup over Wemby. Finally, the Knicks were down by single digits.

A Brunson driving layup capped a 17-4 run, cutting it to seven. Fox missed a shot, Anunoby made a bomb, and the Knicks trailed by four. Fox and Wemby combined for five points, but Alvarado matched them to make it 104-100 with three minutes left.

Fox missed and Brunson hit a triple to make it a one-point deficit, and the foundation of MSG shook. Hart picked off a Fox pass and ran it back, but with Castle trailing, he smoked the layup that would have given New York the lead. Luckily for them, Wemby missed two free throws (after his team had seemingly made a hundred straight to start the game).

With 1:20 on the clock, Brunson made a layup in traffic.

Hart harassed Castle, forcing him to step out of bounds on the baseline. The camera from the Garden was shaking. The entire city was shaking. Veteran Knicks reporter Stef Bondy called it the loudest he had ever heard the house. A shot-clock violation threatened to prove costly, and with 39 seconds left, the Spurs had the ball, down 105-104.

Fox missed, but Hart fouled Castle on the rebound. The 21-year-old made both to reclaim the lead. After that, Captain Clutch got the inbounds pass, dribbled, dribbled, and finally drove, trying to go high off the glass over Wemby. The ball rocketed down the court. Fox caught up with it first and attempted a layup that was blocked by Anunoby. Alvarado brought the ball up the court but was intentionally fouled with six seconds left.

The Spurs didn’t even attempt to cover Anunoby inbounding the ball. He got it to Brunson, who bricked a three-pointer, but Anunoby was ready for that and flew through the air like Superman and put back the rebound with an off-balance finger roll!Knicks up 107-106 with 1.2 seconds left!!!

AN ALL-TIME CLASSIC!

THE FINAL MINUTES OF SPURS-KNICKS GAME 4 🔥 pic.twitter.com/My5dHDiQ64

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 11, 2026

Out of a timeout, the Spurs inbounded the ball to Castle, who was smothered by Hart and couldn’t get a shot up.

Ballgame.

Here’s another angle of the most incredible tip-in you might ever see.

OG ANUNOBY’S GAME WINNING TIP IN. pic.twitter.com/5GOGHutoYc

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 11, 2026

Up Next

I’ll be at the hospital having my heart checked; the Garden is still packed with people, long after the final buzzer. Miranda’s coming at you with a recap; and Game Five will be played on Saturday in San Antonio. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

A PLAY NEW YORKERS WILL REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES ‼️ pic.twitter.com/sPi2pjO7IE

— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2026

OG Anunoby’s flying tip-in in the final seconds might get all the headlines.

But it was the Knicks forward’s play on the other end that went down a few seconds earlier that helped make the miracle of all miracles comebacks happen in NBA Finals Game 4 on Wednesday night.

With 16.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Knicks trailing by a point, Jalen Brunson missed a two-pointer before the ball got deflected into the backcourt, allowing the Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox to scoop up the ball for what seemed like an easy dunk or layup on the other end.

But Anunoby, playing hard defense as always, got a piece of the shot for a block, stopping a would-be gimme basket and giving the Knicks the ball back.

Fox could have held onto the ball and killed some of the clock to force the Knicks into a foul, but he instead went for the immediate shot that obviously didn’t work out.

On the “Inside the NBA” postgame show, Charles Barkley called the decision for Fox to go for the layup “bonehead.”

“That was a dumbass play,” Barkley said. “He did not have to shoot that ball.”

After the Knicks set up on the next possession — following a Fox foul at midcourt and a timeout — Brunson’s miss set up Anunoby for the winning tip-in for the 107-106 victory, putting the Knicks one win away from their first championship since 1973.

The star-studded crowd at Game 4 of the NBA Finals was in disbelief after the Knicks’ historic comeback from down by as many 29 to beat the Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday night at the Garden.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s jaw remained dropped as he stood courtside in the moments after the OG Anunoby tipped in the rebound of Jalen Brunson’s long 3-point attempt with 1.2 seconds remaining to give the Knicks their first and only lead of the night.

Grammy-winning songstress Taylor Swift hugged “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay — a celebrity row favorite of Brunson’s — while wearing their blue-and-orange T-shirts.

The singer was seen swinging a towel and dancing with Knicks fans while exiting the world’s most famous arena, where she’s getting married to fiancé Travis Kelce on July 3.

Comedian Larry David and tennis legend John McEnroe, both celebrity row staples, were left in sheer shock by the manner in which the Knicks took a 3-1 series lead.

New York set the record for the biggest NBA Finals comeback, according to ESPN.

The celebs weren’t the only one struggling to find the words after the final buzzer.

Taylor Swift celebrating Knicks NBA Finals Game 4 win! Presented by Tri State Cadillac. #sponsoredpic.twitter.com/5Cy22JxMfQ

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026

Brunson, when asked about the frantic final minutes by the “Inside the NBA” crew on the live ESPN broadcast, simply shook his head.

Heroes and zeros from the Knicks’ historic 107-106 comeback win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at the Garden.  

Hero

OG Anunboy’s tip-in of a Jalen Brunson missed 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left sent the Knicks to a dramatic comeback victory from 29 points down in the third quarter.

Anunoby scored 19 of his 33 points in the second half, and finished with seven made 3-pointers. Fans chanted, “OG, OG, OG” after the final horn and for several seconds afterwards. 

Zero

DeAaron Fox is going to live with this decision for a long time. On a Brunson miss with 14 seconds left, Fox retrieved the loose ball near midcourt and tried to score rather than holding the ball and forcing the Knicks to foul.

Anunoby blocked his shot and the Knicks gained possession. A mind-boggling mistake for a veteran. 

Unsung hero

Jalen Brunson refused to let go of the rope, even when so much was going wrong. He scored 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting, 19 in the second half, and played the final 24 minutes.

He also had seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. 

Key stat

29: The Knicks staged the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, overcoming a 29-point deficit with 9:40 left in the third quarter. 

Quote

“I don’t know if there is a play bigger in the history of Knicks basketball.”

— Mike Brown on Anunoby’s game-winning tip-in.