NBA Finals: New York Knicks fight from 29 points down for record-breaking comeback win vs San Antonio Spurs and 3-1 lead

NBA Finals: New York Knicks fight from 29 points down for record-breaking comeback win vs San Antonio Spurs and 3-1 lead | NBA News

June 11, 2026:

NBA Finals: New York Knicks fight from 29 points down for record-breaking comeback win vs San Antonio Spurs and 3-1 lead | NBA News

New York Knicks came from 29 points down and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973 by beating San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.

A record-breaking comeback was capped off by what could go down as a legendary play, as Knicks coach Mike Brown later said: “That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.”

It’s certainly high on the list – as high as Anunoby leaped when Jalen Brunson’s long three-point shot bounced on the front of the rim, with his right hand stretching high to softly flick it in.

“Right hand from God,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.

The Knicks, who have won just two titles in their 80-year history and hadn’t even been in the finals since 1999, have three chances to win the title, starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio.

It looked impossible early on when the Spurs rolled to a 27-point half-time lead. But Brunson helped bring the Knicks back with 36 points and Anunoby finished with 33.

No team had come from more than 24 points down in a finals game, when Boston did it against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008, since the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters in 1997. The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter.

“We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot,” Anunoby said. “We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated.”

The only bigger comeback on record in any playoff game was 31 points by the Los Angeles Clippers against Golden State in Game 2 of a first-round series in 2019.

“You look at it when you’re down 29 of, ‘okay, let’s get it to 20’. There’s three minutes left in the third quarter, we’re down 18, you’re thinking, ‘let’s get it to 10’,” forward Josh Hart said.

“In the fourth quarter, you’re like, this is winning time. Anything can happen.” And it did.

The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak snapped in Game 3 and seemed headed for a second straight defeat throughout the first half, when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs opened the biggest halftime lead by a visiting team in the finals.

But the young Spurs, who made 11 of their first 16 three-pointers, went cold in the second half, going 3 for 17 behind the arc as the Knicks outscored them 58-30.

“We got on our heels – we missed some shots,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s disappointing, to say the least.”

Wembanyama had 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 9 for 25 from the field.

Road teams had won the first three games, only the second time that had happened in the finals. San Antonio were well on their way to making it four for four.

Dylan Harper scored 21 points and De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each had 18 for the Spurs, who will try to regroup and send the series back to New York for Game 6 on Tuesday. Only one team – Cleveland in 2016 – have recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

“I think it began before [the fourth quarter],” Wembanyama said of the Spurs’ collapse. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”

Fans booed Wembanyama when he came on to the floor to warm up about an hour before the game and the Knicks tried to get rough with him, with Mitchell Robinson called for a flagrant foul for hitting him above the shoulders and Jose Alvarado reviewed for one after going below the belt.

Wembanyama – who was also called for a flagrant – stood up against the Knicks but will regret the two free throws he missed with 1:47 left and San Antonio leading 104-103.

2026 NBA Finals schedule

All dates and times UK and Ireland

Game 1
Knicks 105-95 Spurs

Game 2
Knicks 105-104 Spurs

Game 3
Spurs 115-111 Knicks

Game 4
Knicks 107-106 Spurs

Game 5
June 14 – Knicks @ Spurs – 1.30am

Game 6
June 17 – Spurs @ Knicks – 1.30am

Game 7
June 20 – Knicks @ Spurs – 1.30am

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