The New York Knicks are mortal, and the 2026 NBA Finals will not end in a sweep.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Knicks, 115-111, in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks had won 13 straight playoff games with most of them coming in a rout, but the vibes were cursed by Donald Trump’s decision to attend the game and inconvenience everyone else in the arena. The Spurs came out hot in the first quarter, the Knicks roared back with a 42-point second quarter to take the lead going into halftime, and San Antonio held on in a tight second half to move the series to a 2-1 Knicks lead heading into a pivotal Game 4 on Wednesday.
This was a winnable game for New York, and in some ways it feels like the Knicks blew a golden opportunity to take a 3-0 death grip on the series. There’s still so much basketball left to be played. Let’s dive into why San Antonio was able to score its first win, and why the Knicks should still win Game 4.
Victor Wembanyama’s lobs killed New York
Wembanyama was fantastic in the win, finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five stocks. The Spurs got their superstar big man going by finally getting him to the basket. Of Wemby’s 11 made field goals, eight of them came in the restricted area, and many of those were on lobs from San Antonio’s guards.
Wembanyama did a better job setting real screens in this game, and that set up opportunities to slip the screen later in the game that consistently caught New York off guard.
When in doubt, just throw it up where only Wemby can get it.
Wembanyama took 38 percent of his shots at the rim this year, which only ranked in the 33rd percentile of all big men. In the playoffs, that’s moved up to 44 percent. Wembanyama had a four-point play in this game, and the outside shot will always be part of his game. That’s just who he is as a player. Still, the opposing defense wants to make Wemby a jump shooter, and when he’s actually determined to get to the rim is when he’s at his best. Game 1 showed the limitations of Wembanyama’s handle in trying to create his own looks off the bounce. The Spurs wised up and used him as more of a play-finisher in Game 3, and it worked out to great effect.
Wembanyama is 7’5 (at least) with an 8-foot wingspan. The Spurs guards don’t need an easy angle or the ability to throw a great pass to hit him. Just toss it up there, and Wemby is likely to come down with it.
Stephon Castle shut down Karl-Anthony Towns and added timely scoring
The Spurs did more cross-matching defensively in Game 3, and it finally helped slow down the Knicks’ offense. Wembanyama might be the best defender in the world, but he was getting cooked off the dribble by Karl-Anthony Towns earlier in this series. The Spurs responded by sticking Stephon Castle on Towns, and letting Wembanyama roam off the weakest shooter on the floor so he could make more plays near the rim.
Castle is listed as a guard, but he’s built more like a linebacker. He has a lower center of gravity to help him hold his ground defensively, and his quick hands were disruptive when KAT tried to dribble. Putting Castle on Towns lets the Spurs easily switch any action involving the big man, and it also takes away a lot of KAT’s perimeter game because Castle is quick enough to press up on him but not get burned if he drives. This is potentially the biggest answer the Spurs have found in the series so far.
Castle also brought it offensively to finish with 23 points and five assists on 8-of-14 shooting. He was also able to limit himself to only two turnovers, which has been his biggest problem throughout the postseason. Castle plays with so much power going downhill, using Eurosteps and slow steps to attack the basket. It’s so hard to knock him off balance, and he has the strength to finish through contact when he gets into the paint.
There are obvious deficiencies in his skill set as a shooter and decision-maker, but Castle is a monster when it comes to attacking the rim, and the Spurs did a good job to help him play to his strengths in Game 3.
Castle’s three-point grenade with under two minutes left was the biggest shot of the game, turning a four-point San Antonio lead into a seven-point advantage.
Honestly, this one felt like a miracle, but as the old saying goes, it’s a make or miss league, and Castle hit a huge one when the Spurs really needed it.
Jalen Brunson was doing a little too much
Brunson is obviously an outstanding player and clutch god, but the Knicks can get into some bad habits when he’s pounding the air out of the ball. He’s averaging 99.7 touches per game in the Finals, which is 23 more than any other player in the series, and 42 more than the next best Knick. Brunson’s 5.57 average seconds per touch is an enormous number, with De’Aaron Fox coming in second in the series among normal rotation players at 4.53 in the same category.
Too much Brunson was a bad thing for the Knicks in prior years, and it feels like the Spurs coaxed him into trying to play the hero again in Game 3. San Antonio single-covered most of the game with Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and Castle splitting the assignment for most of the night. Brunson still had 32 points on 25 shots, which is pretty damn good efficiency in a Finals game, and he drilled a three in the final seconds to give New York one last chance. He still finished the night -9 in 35 minutes, and the Spurs attacked him defensively at every opportunity.
It just feels like less is more when it comes to Brunson. The Knicks need him in crunch-time for sure, but he shouldn’t feel the need to carry the offense all night.
The Knicks will still win Game 4 to take control of the series
The NBA Finals could easily be 2-1 Spurs right now, but Wembanyama’s costly miscommunication with Castle on a turnover at the end of Game 2 (and subsequent missed game-winner) still has San Antonio fighting for its life in Game 4. The road team has won every game in this series so far, but I think the Knicks answer back on Wednesday. Here’s why:
- Landry Shamet isn’t going to shoot as poorly as he did in Game 3, when he went 1-of-7 from three. Shamet has been red hot throughout the playoffs and finally had an off night. He’ll be better next time out.
- Mike Brown worked the refs after the game, and I would bet that helps even out the free throw disparity from Monday. The Spurs shot 10 more free throws than the Knicks, and I don’t expect that to happen again.
- The Spurs only had eight turnovers in Game 3, while the Knicks had 13. New York is better at both taking care of the ball and forcing turnovers on defense across the bigger sample, and I would expect San Antonio to fumble away more possessions in Game 4.
- De’Aaron Fox hit some big shots late, but he just hasn’t been good enough in this series or these playoffs. He went 4-of-14 from the field in the win. I feel like the Spurs need consistently good offense from Fox to win the series, but he can’t beat people off the dribble like he used to, and he’s never been a super reliable outside shooter. Credit Fox for coming through in the clutch, but he needs to be good all game, and I just don’t think he has it in him anymore.
Game 4 is going to be a barnburner. Madison Square Garden will be ready.
COVERS INTEL: Giolito has walked 
