What appeared destined to be a blowout at Madison Square Garden turned into one of the most remarkable comebacks in NBA, New York Knicks, history.
The Knicks erased a 29-point deficit and secured a dramatic one-point victory in the closing seconds.
The game began at a fast and physical pace, with officials calling a much tighter game than in the previous three contests.
Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two personal fouls within the opening eight seconds, forcing him to the bench just 1:02 into the game.
With Towns sidelined, the Spurs quickly capitalized, racing out to a 12-2 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
New York struggled offensively out of the gate, managing just two points through the opening 3:05 of the first quarter.
The game’s opening minutes were played at a frantic pace, with San Antonio building an early 14-10 advantage.
From there, the Spurs began to pull away. Stephon Castle knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer with 6:50 remaining in the quarter to extend San Antonio’s lead to 19-10. He connected from beyond the arc again just a few possessions later, pushing the Spurs’ advantage to 22-10 with 6:16 left in the first. At that point, San Antonio had made four of its first five attempts from 3-point range.
Fueled by its red-hot shooting from beyond the arc, San Antonio closed the first quarter with a 19-point lead after knocking down nine 3-pointers on 68% shooting.
The second quarter would be much like the first as the Spurs combined suffocating defense with blistering shooting from beyond the arc. By halftime, San Antonio had knocked down 14 of its 25 attempts from 3-point range and was shooting 61% from the field, carrying a commanding 76-49 lead into the break.
Yet lurking beneath the Spurs’ dominant first half was the Knicks’ unsung hero, OG Anunoby, who quietly scored 12 points before the break.
At the half,, the Spurs shot 12 for 26 from 3 to the Knicks 4-12., committed just 2 turnovers to the Knicks’ 8, and outscored New York’s bench 22-2.
Madison Square Garden was silent.
Anunoby opened the second half by knocking down the third of his 7 3-pointers at the 11:06 mark, cutting the deficit to 17 (76-52).
Just over a minute later, with the Spurs holding a commanding 29-point lead, Victor Wembanyama was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul on Towns with 9:27 remaining in the quarter.
The foul proved to be a turning point, as the Knicks began to find their rhythm and spark the comeback that would define the game.
At 8:23, Jalen Brunson would come alive, hitting 1 of his 3 point makes to cut the deficit to 22.
A few possessions later, with Wemby on the bench, Anunoby knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the game, cutting San Antonio’s lead to 81-62. The basket capped a 10-0 Knicks run and gave Anunoby 22 points on the night.
A few possessions later, rookie sensation Dylan Harper drew a foul and converted both free throws, restoring San Antonio’s lead to 20 points at 85-65.
The Knicks responded immediately. Jalen Brunson converted a circus shot from just beyond the free-throw line while drawing a foul, cutting the deficit to 85-67. The basket capped a 16-4 New York run and further energized the Madison Square Garden crowd.
New York continued to chip away at the Spurs’ lead throughout the remainder of the quarter. With 52.4 seconds remaining in the third, Anunoby drilled a step-back 3-pointer that bounced around the rim before dropping through, trimming San Antonio’s lead to 90-75. The basket was his fifth 3-pointer of the night and gave him 25 points.
The Spurs’ struggles continued late in the quarter as De’Aaron Fox lost control of the ball off his foot, marking San Antonio’s fifth turnover of the period. By the end of the third quarter, the Knicks had trimmed what was once a 29-point deficit to just 15 points.
The Knicks opened the fourth quarter with a crucial coaching challenge, successfully overturning an out-of-bounds call with 11:46 remaining. The ruling kept possession with New York as it trailed 90-75 and continued its comeback attempt.
New York continued to chip away at the deficit as Towns knocked down a step-back 3-pointer with 7:26 remaining, cutting San Antonio’s lead to 95-80. Moments later, Anunoby buried a corner 3-pointer, his sixth of the night, with 7:00 left, trimming the Spurs’ advantage to 97-86 and bringing the Knicks within 11 points.
Towns continued New York’s charge, converting a tough baseline layup over Wembanyama with 6:36 remaining to cut the deficit to single digits at 97-88. The basket capped a 13-2 Knicks run over the previous 3:06 and further energized the Madison Square Garden crowd.
With 4:32 left, Anunoby buried his seventh 3-pointer of the game, trimming the deficit to 99-95. New York had now outscored San Antonio 20 to 4 over the previous 5:01, completing a stunning rally from what had once been a 29-point hole.
Just as the Knicks appeared poised to seize momentum, Fox responded with a clutch 3-pointer on the next possession, extending San Antonio’s lead to 102-95.
But the Knicks remained composed. With 2:18 remaining, Brunson buried a deep 3-pointer over Wembanyama as the shot clock expired, cutting San Antonio’s lead to just one point at 104-103.
After Wembanyama missed both free throws, the Knicks capitalized on the ensuing possession. Brunson converted his signature midrange floater in the paint with 1:22 remaining, giving New York its first lead of the game at 105-104 and completing a stunning comeback from a 29-point deficit.
The drama was far from over. With 38.8 seconds remaining, the Knicks were whistled for a shot-clock violation, giving San Antonio a chance to respond. On the ensuing possession, Castle drew a foul and calmly converted both free throws to put the Spurs back in front, 106-105.
On New York’s final chance to retake the lead, Brunson’s deep 3-pointer off the inbounds play came up short. But Anunoby soared in from the weak side and tipped the ball back into the basket, giving the Knicks a stunning 107-106 lead with just 1.2 seconds remaining.
The Spurs had one final opportunity to steal the victory, but New York’s defense held firm, preventing San Antonio from getting off a shot before time expired.
The victory gave New York a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Historically, teams that take a 3-1 advantage in the Finals go on to win the championship more than 95% of the time. The series now shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday night, where the Knicks will have their first opportunity to clinch the franchise’s first NBA title in more than five decades.
‘Party pooper’ Mamdani: Knicks owner slams mayor, NYPD over restrictions
In the lead-up to the game on Wednesday, the New York Knicks’ owner, James Dolan, blasted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over security measures restricting access around Madison Square Garden and canceled a fan party outside the arena for Game Four of the NBA Finals, arguing that too few people would get through the barriers.
They’re New York’s “biggest party poopers,” he said, accusing Mamdani of turning “the streets around MSG into a police state.”
The mayor and the city said they granted Madison Square Garden’s request for a permit to host a 500-to-999-person watch party on Wednesday. The NYPD planned for participants to enter through a security zone that included street closures for the ticketed event.
But Dolan said the city’s approval was “disingenuous at best” and abruptly canceled Wednesday’s watch party, a tradition at Madison Square Garden for playoff games.
The 1,000-person attendance cap left “tens of thousands of people who want to come to The Garden to celebrate the Knicks out in the cold,” Dolan said. He said he canceled the event because it would have been unfair to those who could not attend.
Reuters contributed to this report.
