New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs

The atmosphere inside MSG was electric from the opening tip. President Donald Trump was in attendance, the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, and the crowd of 19,812 roared with every Knicks basket. New York led 64-57 at halftime, Jalen Brunson orchestrating the offence with poise, Karl-Anthony Towns imposing himself in the paint.

But Wembanyama had other ideas. The second half belonged to him. He attacked the rim, stepped back for mid-range jumpers, swatted shots at the defensive end, and hauled in offensive rebounds that kept Spurs possessions alive. By the fourth quarter, San Antonio had turned a seven-point deficit into a lead they would not relinquish.

De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle provided crucial support, while Dylan Harper — the rookie who has grown into a genuine Finals contributor — added timely buckets to keep the Knicks' defence stretched.

Heading into Game 3, the Knicks had won three straight meetings against the Spurs, stretching back through the Finals itself. Game 1 (105-95) and Game 2 (105-104) — the latter decided when Wembanyama's last-second jumper rattled off the rim — had New York in full sweep mode. The Garden crowd had already started doing the arithmetic.

But the head-to-head record between these franchises over 39 all-time meetings (Spurs 20, Knicks 19) has always been tight, and the Spurs are not a team that folds. Their path to the Finals — surviving a seven-game Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City, with Wembanyama's 41-point, 24-rebound Game 1 against the Thunder already etched into playoff lore — is the résumé of a franchise that knows how to win ugly and win big.

Jalen Brunson was again the Knicks' heartbeat, finishing with a composed performance that kept New York in contention deep into the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had battled Wembanyama effectively across the first two games — outplaying the Spurs star by most metrics — but Game 3 saw the tide turn. Wembanyama was more aggressive, more physical, and more relentless than in any previous Finals outing.

OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges contributed on both ends, but New York's offence stalled in the crucial late-game possessions when it mattered most, and San Antonio's length — led by Wembanyama — made the Knicks' usual pick-and-roll rhythm harder to execute.

The Knicks hold a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 on Thursday, June 11, back at Madison Square Garden. They remain heavy favourites to claim their first NBA championship since 1973. But Wembanyama's Game 3 performance has changed the tenor of this series entirely.

For the Spurs, this is the first Finals appearance for a franchise that last won a title in 2014 — and the first for Wembanyama, who at 22 is already rewriting the record books. The question now is whether one historic night can become a turning point, or whether the Knicks' depth and defensive structure reassert themselves on Thursday.

"We can't change the past," Wembanyama had said after his costly miss in Game 2. "We're already focused on Game 3." He delivered on that promise — emphatically.

Series: New York Knicks lead 2-1. Game 4: Thursday, 11 June 2026, Madison Square Garden.