NEW YORK — For the first time all series, it looked like Victor Wembanyama remembered that he was 7-foot-4 and practically unstoppable, and the Knicks did not have any answers as they saw their 13-game playoff winning streak come to an end.
The superstar dropped 32 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 115-111 victory in Game 3 over New York to cut their NBA Finals series deficit to 2-1 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden — the first championship-round game played at the famed venue since 1999.
Holding a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Spurs held the Knicks to just nine points in the first eight minutes of the frame to open up a lead as large as eight inside four minutes to go.
An assist could very well be attributed to the officiating, which skewed the foul calls so dramatically that the Spurs attempted 24 free throws in the second half compared to the Knicks’ eight.
“I never thought I’d be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said. I don’t think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to free-throw attempts.”
There would be no comeback Knicks this time, as they shot 7-of-27 from the field down the stretch — the embodiment of a sloppy night that saw them shoot 45.5% from the field, 35.1% from three-point range, and commit 13 turnovers.
“Offensively, we were as stagnant as I’ve seen us all year, which helped with the 13 turnovers,” Brown said. “You’re in an NBA Finals game, and you have 13 turnovers to their eight, and on those 13 turnovers they generated 21 points, and on their eight turnovers, we generated seven.”
Jalen Brunson, who scored 32 points with five assists, provided some hope when he hit a straightaway three-pointer with 33.3 seconds left to cut the Knicks’ deficit to three, but Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox’s mid-range jumper extended the lead to five with 12.2 ticks to go.
OG Anunoby drained a corner three with 9.4 to go to make it a two-point game, but Stephon Castle answered with a pair of free throws to make it a four-point lead and effectively ice it. It was the final points of the UConn product’s 23-point outing.
Anunoby had his best offensive night of these Finals with 28 points, flanked by 16 from Josh Hart, to support a night where Karl-Anthony Towns was held to just 11 with eight rebounds.
Wembanyama hit each of his first three shots while he and Castle combined to score 16 of the Spurs’ first 19 points of the night.
The Spurs jumped out to a 12-point lead while the Knicks came out of the gates sloppily. They committed four turnovers while shooting 8-of-19 in the opening 12 minutes, staring at an 11-point deficit after the first.
With Brunson off the floor, a portion of the Knicks’ secondary unit featuring Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson sparked an 11-2 run to get back within two, 40-38, with 8:12 left in the half.
The Knicks finally nabbed their first lead of the night, 50-49, with 4:15 left in the second after scoring six straight points. Anunoby drained a three, then blocked a driving Dylan Harper, leading to a Brunson triple.
They created some breathing space thanks to a 10-1 run at the end of the half behind consecutive threes from Brunson and Hart to take a 64-57 lead at the break.
Brunson shot 3-of-4 with 10 points in the second after a sluggish 2-for-7 start (five points).
But the Spurs found an answer, thanks to a pair of 6-0 runs in the first seven minutes of the third quarter, and so began the trading of blows that ended with the Spurs taking a 92-91 lead into the final stanza.
