The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 on Wednesday night, making a record comeback from a 29-point deficit and moving them to the brink of their first championship since 1973.
OG Anunoby missed Jalen Brunson’s long 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in the rally, giving the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and three chances to win the title.
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It looked impossible early on when the Spurs led by 27 points at halftime. But Brunson helped the Knicks come back with 36 points, and Anunoby finished with 33 points, swooping down as Brunson’s shot bounced softly in front of the rim, reaching high with his right hand and slamming it in.
“I told OG, as big as him, as strong as him, as athletic as him, he’s gotta be a monster on offense tonight,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.
“I don’t know if there’s been a greater play than any other in Knicks basketball history.”
Game 5 will be played Saturday night in San Antonio.
Sensational Knicks comeback
Since the NBA began detailed play-by-play of all four quarters in 1997, no team had come from a deficit of more than 24 points in the finals, including when the Boston Celtics faced the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter.
The biggest upset on record in a playoff game was 31 points in Game 2 of the 2019 first-round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.
The Knicks’ 13-game winning streak ended in Game 3, and it looked like they would lose two in a row throughout the first half, but in the final, Victor Wembaneyama and the Spurs extended their largest lead over the visiting team at halftime.
However, the young Spurs made 11 of their first 16 3-pointers, but faltered in the second half, making 3 of 17 as the Knicks outscored them 58-30.
“We got some momentum. We missed some shots,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s disappointing, to say the least.”
Eager fans inside Madison Square Garden sang Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” together minutes after seeing what seemed almost impossible.
Wenbanyama recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds, but only made 9 of 25 FG shots.
The road team had won the first three games, but only won in the finals for the second time. San Antonio was on track to go 4-4.
Despite Taylor Swift, President Donald Trump was not at the game, but the same restrictions remained in place around Madison Square Garden as when Trump attended Game 3. This infuriated the Knicks, who decided not to move forward with plans to hold an outdoor viewing party outside the arena.
Knicks vs. Spurs timeline
In the first half, there wasn’t much that pleased the hosts.
However, the Knicks held the Spurs to just 14 points in the third quarter on 4-of-20 shooting and went on a 13-0 run to close the gap to 90-75 heading into the fourth quarter and give them a chance.
The Knicks erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they still won’t give up.
After the Knicks took the lead and San Antonio hit two free throws with 30 seconds left to turn things around, the Knicks had one more rally, even when Stephon Castle was fouled and the comeback looked futile.
Dylan Harper scored 21 points and De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each scored 18 points for the Spurs, who will look to rebuild and take the series back to New York in Game 6 on Tuesday.
Wenbanyama said of the Spurs’ collapse, “I think it started before (the fourth quarter).” “I can’t explain it right now. I don’t know…Obviously we weren’t the hungriest in the second half.”
When Wembaneyama took the floor to warm up about an hour before the game, fans booed and the Knicks tried to get rough with him, calling Mitchell Robinson a flagrant foul for hitting Wembaneyama above the shoulder and calling Jose Alvarado one foul after passing below the belt.
Wembaneyama, also called up to Flagrant, had no problems against the Knicks, but will regret missing two free throws with 1:47 remaining and San Antonio leading 104-103.
