There will be no sweep in the 2026 NBA Finals.
The script in this game felt a bit too obvious. The New York Knicks entered Madison Square Garden with a 2-0 lead, the home-court advantage was raucous, President Trump attended and New York needed a win the most with the pressure on.
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So it was fitting that the law of averages swung to a San Antonio Spurs win. San Antonio opened the first quarter with the required intensity, pulling away to an early 33-22 victory that set the tone. Even though the Knicks would respond each time with some leads in between, it always felt like the Spurs were in control.
San Antonio eventually took a 108-100 lead late in the fourth where it truly felt like it was over for the night. The Knicks made two tough threes despite struggling from the perimeter earlier in the quarter, but it was too little too late in the 115-111 result.
Wembanyama responded extremely well after throwing away Game 2 (quite literally). He finished with a more efficient game high of 32 points on 11 of 18 field goals to go with eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks, two steals and just one turnover. That’s how an MVP candidate responds, regardless of how the series goes.
Stephon Castle also stepped up early on and ended with 23 points and five assists, making key free throws under pressure to close it out. All starters scored in double figures, while Dylan Harper led all bench scorers in the game with 13 points.
Jalen Brunson continued to lead New York in scoring, but could’ve done better. He went 11 of 25 from the field for 32 points, grabbing five rebounds and assisting five times but also coughing it up on five occasions. Karl-Anthony Towns came back to Earth with just 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting. That’s mostly where the margins were lost.
OG Anunoby has been steady in this postseason but really put his foot on the gas with an efficient 28 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He relentlessly attacked Wembanyama from the perimeter and might’ve figured out some things. Even Josh Hart put up 16 points on 4 of 7 3-point shooting, but Mikal Bridges could only add two points.
Jordan Clarkson was the highlight off the bench. After not scoring and being a central role player in the first two games, he added 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting in just 13 minutes. It was a stark difference to Landry Shamet, who played 23 minutes but only went 1 of 8 from the field. It’s the risk of playing someone of Shamet’s quality too often.
Both Mike Brown and Mitch Johnson will have key decisions to make entering a crucial Game 4 on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Should the Knicks win, they’d take a 3-1 advantage and surely close it out at least by Game 6 — barring a historic collapse. But if the Spurs pull it off and steal a second straight road game, the series is back to 0-0 with a best of three to play.
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Safe to say Madison Square Garden will be electric again.