Keep track of the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs' Game 3 tilt, the first NBA Finals fracas in Manhattan since 1999.
Y2K has nothing on the NYK.
For the first time since 1999, the tension and euphoria of the NBA Finals will descend upon Madison Square Garden, as the New York Knicks will look to take the penultimate step in their first championship in over half a century. With a massive legion of supporters, including President Donald Trump, on hand, the Knicks will face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3. New York leads the best-of-seven set 2-0, the closest it has been to a title since 1973.
The Knicks took the early lead in the series by sweeping the opening couple in San Antonio, the latter win being a 105-104 triumph on Friday night. A go-ahead free throw from Jalen Brunson provided the winning margin before Victor Wembanyama missed a would-be winner at the buzzer. Karl-Anthony Towns had a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double while Mikal Bridges had 20 points.
With the victory, the Knicks are riding a 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in a single postseason in NBA history. New York also became the third team to steal the first two games of the Finals on the road, joining the champion Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets squads from 1993 and 1995 respectively.
Keep track of all the action from Game 3 with BIL's in-game tracker below ...
FINAL: Spurs 115, Knicks 111 (NYK Leads Series 2-1)
Spurs (115)
POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (32)
ASSISTS: De'Aaron Fox (8)
REBOUNDS: Dylan Harper (9)
Knicks (111)
POINTS: Jalen Brunson (32)
ASSISTS: Jalen Brunson/Josh Hart (5)
REBOUNDS: Josh Hart (9)
4th Quarter: Spurs 115, Knicks 111
2.1—Bridges and Anunoby miss threes before time expires, and the game ... as well as the Knicks' 13-game winning streak ... ends.
6.8—Castle gets the inbound and is fouled. He hits both. Timeout Knicks, their last. (115-111 SAS)
9.4—Anunoby hits a three in the corner off a feed from Hart, the first either team has made in the period. Timeout Spurs (113-111 SAS)
12.2—Fox hits a double from the foul line to stifle momentum. Timeout New York (113-108 SAS)
33.3—Another Spurs dagger falls short and Brunson makes them pay with a three (111-108 SAS)
59.6—After a Harper dagger falls short, Wembanyama fouls Anunoby on a drive. Anunoby hits one and the full-court press begins. (111-105 SAS)
1:53—A Castle three, also at the end of the shot clock, puts the Spurs up seven (111-104 SAS)
2:22—After another block, the Knicks enjoy a Brunson fadeaway before the shot clock expires. Four-point game. (108-104 SAS)
2:28—In a wild sequence, Towns gets blocked by Fox inside. Knicks keep possession with three on the shot clock.
3:40—Wembanyama blocks a Shamet layup but can't put one back in on the other end. A Castle foul puts Brunson on the line and he hits the first before a Spurs timeout. He hits the other after the break. (108-102 SAS)
4:25—Anunoby's rejection of Harper goes out of bounds. Spurs call timeout to talk it over as they take possession back under the basket and 15 to shoot. Knicks challenged the out of bounds call, and it was successful. They take the ball back.
4:50—After Brunson dribbles into Champagnie's arms for a steal, Wembanyama goes back to the line, Shamet's fifth foul. He hits two. (108-100 SAS)
5:40—Though surrounded by Knicks, Wembanyama tips in a Fox pass for two. He has 30 points. (106-100 SAS)
5:54—An Anunoby block of Harper leads to an and-one opportunity for Brunson, who rebounded a missed Towns three. The Vassell foul allows Brunson to sink one extra at the line. (104-100 SAS)
6:28—Fox penetrates for a double, lead back up to seven (104-97 SAS)
6:49—Anunoby gets two back on the other end on a smooth fadeaway double (102-97 SAS)
7:12—Yet another challenge up for grabs: a Fox three-pointer goes out of bounds, but Mitch Johnson challenges for Towns potentially holding Wembanyama on the potential rebound. The call is reversed, and Wembanyama gets two free throws after Towns' fourth foul. He hits two. (102-95 SAS)
7:32—Brunson immediately capitalizes on the removed three and drives for two. Instant timeout San Antonio (100-95 SAS)
7:45—Wembanyama hits a deep three and is fouled by Robinson as it falls through. Wembanyama is shaken up but is able to walk off. Knicks challenge (Johnson may have shoved Robinson into Wembanyama) and there's a timeout on the floor. Review confirms Johnson's offensive foul and the three (and 10-point lead) is removed.
8:10—Bridges' fourth foul sends Wembanyama to the line. He hits two and Anunoby comes back in (100-93 SAS)
8:30—Knicks get on the board in the fourth with a Robinson putback of a Brunson miss (98-93 SAS)
8:45—Champagnie finds on open Wembanyama in the paint for two (98-91 SAS)
9:18—As both teams go cold, Shamet fouls Wembanyama, the Knicks' fourth of the period. Brunson re-enters, Towns sits.
10:56—Knicks' third foul, this one on Alvarado, sends Fox to the line. He hits two. (96-91 SAS)
11:30—After a Bridges foul (the Knicks' second in the period), Castle to Wembanyama opens scoring (94-91 SAS)
11:45—Wembanyama re-enters at the top of the fourth and draws a foul on Towns.
3rd Quarter: Spurs 92, Knicks 91
14.9—Bridges scores his first two of the night on a foul line jumper. It winds up being the final points of the period as Harper misses a three on the other end (92-91 SAS)
33.2—A Harper three gives the Spurs the lead back (92-89 SAS)
49.1—Towns puts back a Clarkson miss and Clarkson instantly responds with a desperation triple that falls through before the shot clock buzzer. Clarkson has 10 after going scoreless in the first two games (89-89)
1:52—Champagnie responds with his own three (89-84 SAS)
2:15—Shamet's first points are big ones, as a corner three off a feed from Alvarado narrows the gap again (86-84 SAS)
2:33—A Harper drive puts the lead back to three. Kornet will go to the line for two after a Shamet foul. Timeout on the floor, after which Kornet hits both. (86-81 SAS)
3:31—Anunoby hits one of two after a Johnson foul (82-81 SAS)
3:40—Johnson hits one of two at the line after a Shamet foul (82-80 SAS)
4:14—A Vassell foul puts the Knicks in the bonus before a Clarkson putback cuts the lead to one (81-80 SAS)
4:29—Following a Robinson putback to shrink the lead, Brunson is charged for his fourth foul. San Antonio in the bonus and Harper hits two. Brunson sits down, as does Wembanyama. (81-78 SAS)
5:02—Wembanyama sinks a smooth three for the Spurs lead back (79-76 SAS)
5:38—Following a Brunson miss, Wembanyama finds Johnson on the inside for a tie (76-76)
6:07—Harper tips in a Wembanyama miss out of the timeout (76-74 NYK)
6:21—Timeout on the floor after a Knick turnover.
6:41—Corner three from Hart boosts the lead back to two possessions (76-72 NYK)
7:00—Johnson to the line for two, Brunson's third foul. Johnson misses both.
7:11—Lead back the hosts' way thanks to another Anunoby fade (73-72 NYK)
7:26—The Spurs grab the lead back via a Wembanyama jumper and Vassell three (72-71 SAS)
8:10—Brunson throws up a wild shot as he's fouled by Fox, and it falls through. He hits the and-one, and it's a four-point game. Brunson has 20. (71-67 NYK)
8:50—Wembanyama charged with his second foul, away from the ball on Anunoby.
9:08—Castle and Vassell each get to the line and sink two, narrowing the gap to one (68-67 NYK)
9:50—Another Anunoby dunk puts him on the board in the second half (68-63 NYK)
10:17—Brunson procures a rebound of his own miss and sinks a fadeaway (66-63 NYK)
10:54—Champagnie sinks a three and is fouled by Brunson, his second. The play is reviewed for an illegal closeout. It's ruled hostile and Brunson is charged a flagrant one. San Antonio maintains possession while Champagnie hits the latter of a "one shot to make two" free throws. (64-63 NYK)
11:33—Champagnie opens up scoring in the second half with a drive off the glass (64-59 NYK)
Halftime Leaders
Spurs (57)
POINTS: Stephon Castle (18)
ASSISTS: De'Aaron Fox (5)
REBOUNDS: Victor Wembanyama (4)
Knicks (64)
POINTS: OG Anunoby (17)
ASSISTS: Jalen Brunson/Josh Hart (3)
REBOUNDS: Josh Hart (5)
2nd Quarter: Knicks 64, Spurs 57
0.0—Wembanyama's would-be buzzer-beater closes things out. Knicks win the period by 18 and score the last eight.
9.6—Towns is fouled by Fox on a drive. He hits two. (64-57 NYK)
40.5—The momentum continues to flip with a Brunson three. He's got 15. (62-57 NYK)
1:15—A Hart gives the Knicks a late lead (59-57 NYK)
1:37—Wembanyama to the line after Anunoby's second foul. One down. (57-56 SAS)
1:58—Anunoby drives by Wembanyama and his slam ties the game (56-56)
2:18—Fox fadeaway gives the Spurs the lead back. (56-54 SAS)
2:42—A Towns steal turns into a Hart double that ties the game. He's got 10 after just three in the first two games (54-54)
2:59—Brunson is shaken up after he's the victim of a loose-ball foul on Castle. The play is being reviewed for a flagrant. Remains a common foul. Brunson returns and hits two at the line. (54-52 SAS)
3:21—Castle's alley-oop to Wembanyama pushes it back to two possessions (54-50 SAS)
3:59—Wembanyama's first three immediately transfers the lead back. (52-50 SAS)
4:18—The Knicks takes their first lead of the night after Brunson sinks a three (50-49 NYK)
4:46—Out of the timeout, Anunoby engages in a stepback corner three. He has 15. (49-47 SAS)
5:10—An exchange between Clarkson and Castle ensues, leading to a New York timeout after the latter. (49-44 SAS)
5:34—Harper responds to an acrobatic Brunson double with a highlight of his town (47-42 SAS)
5:53—A Clarkson steal is immediately negated when he tosses it to Castle, who puts it up for an and-one. Towns has his second and sits down. Free throw is good (45-40 SAS)
6:44—Towns drives off the inbound and cuts the gap in half (42-40 SAS)
6:48—Fourth team foul on San Antonio when Harper illegally boxes out Bridges.
7:11—After some exchanged misses (and a Towns foul), Castle gets back on the board with a driving double (42-38 SAS)
8:13—A Towns steal becomes an open Anunoby three, lowering the gap to two. Timeout Spurs amidst a frenzied Garden (40-38 SAS)
8:37—Towns puts up a contested double and suddenly it's a five-point game (40-35 SAS)
9:13—Jordan Clarkson comes off the bench and hits a three in the corner. It's his first points of the Finals. (40-33 SAS)
9:35—Castle drives to put the lead back to 10. He's in double-figures with 11 (40-30 SAS)
9:41—Alvarado sinks one in front of Wembanyama and garners an and-one on an away-from-the-ball foul on Bryant. Towns, the victim, hits the freebie. (38-30 SAS)
10:03—Castle hits two at the line after a Shamet foul. Bridges re-enters after his early foul trouble. (38-27 SAS)
10:14—Following a Bryant loose-ball foul, Castle fouls Anunoby on a corner three. It's no good but Anunoby hits all three singles. (36-27 SAS)
11:25—Carter Bryant immediately responds with a three upon his own entry (36-24 SAS)
11:40—The Knicks open second quarter scoring with a Jose Alvarado floater (33-24 SAS)
1st Quarter: Spurs 33, Knicks 22
0.0—Wembanyama misses sandwich another from Brunson and the first quarter ends without further scoring.
45.0—Wembanyama is called for his first foul when Mitchell Robinson goes up on an in-bounds play. The notorious free throw shooter hits one. (33-22 SAS)
1:13—Champagnie three pushes the lead to a dozen (33-21 SAS)
1:26—Anunoby to the line for two on a drive. Kornet on the foul, Wembanyama re-enters for him. Anunoby hits two. (30-21 SAS)
1:49—A Harper dunk pushes it back to double-figures (30-19 SAS)
2:05—Fox gets his first field goal from the foul line, pushing the league back to double figures temporarily. Brunson responds on the other end. (28-19 SAS)
2:51—After a pair of missed threes, Johnson drives for a two (26-17 SAS)
3:25—Back-to-back physical doubles from Towns and Hart ignite a mini-Knicks run and forces a San Antonio timeout. Luke Kornet runs into Hart after the shot, leading to a confrontation. Hart is charged with a technical foul. Vassell misses the awarded free throw. (24-17 SAS)
4:56—The lead goes back to double-figures on a Vassell three (24-13 SAS)
5:14—Dylan Harper scores upon his entry but a Shamet strip of Wembanyama leads to an Anunoby dunk (21-13 SAS)
6:42—OG Anunoby sinks a fadeaway out of the stoppage (19-11 SAS)
6:49—Timeout on the floor. Knick ball when play resumes.
7:02—Wembanyama with a three of his one, this one an and-on after he's fouled on a two by OG Anunoby. He hits the single. (19-9 SAS)
7:11—Hart's second three ignites the crowd after a Castle jumper (16-9 SAS)
7:51—Brunson to the foul line on a Vassell foul. He hits one. Keldon Johnson comes in for Fox between freebies. (14-6 SAS)
8:01—Castle gets on the board himself again with a three, and the Spurs have sunk each of their last six (14-5 SAS)
8:22—First Spurs foul is charged to Julian Champagnie.
8:34—San Antonio immediately capitalizes, with Castle finding Wembanyama for another easy two (11-5 SAS)
8:41—The Knicks force San Antonio's first turnover but Brunson is charged with an offensive foul.
8:52—Jalen Brunson banks one in but Bridges is charged for his second foul on the other end. Landry Shamet checks in for him (9-5 SAS)
9:14—Castles drives for two and draws the first foul of the game, charged to Mikal Bridges. The and-one free throw is missed. (9-3 SAS)
9:32—The Knicks get on the board with a Josh Hart three (7-3 SAS)
9:48—Devin Vassel sinks a three to continue the San Antonio run (7-0 SAS)
10:17—Wembanyama slams down another off a feed from Stephon Castle after a Knicks turnover (4-0 SAS)
10:43—After two San Antonio misses and a Knick miss and turnover, De'Aaron Fox finds Wembanyama for an alley-oop (2-0 SAS)
12:00—Victor Wembanyama wins the tip from Karl-Anthony Towns and the game is underway
Pregame
Game Info
WHAT: NBA Finals Game 3
WHO: (3) San Antonio Spurs at (2) New York Knicks (NYK leads series 2-0)
WHERE: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
WHEN: Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
WAGER: NYK —1.5 (o/u: 216.5)
Starting Lineups
SPURS: Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama
KNICKS: OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns
Injuries
SPURS: N/A
KNICKS: Mitchell Robinson (hand, AVAILABLE)
Officials
Curtis Blair, Marc Davis, John Goble
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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