The New York Knicks completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history on Wednesday night, overcoming a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 at Madison Square Garden. The win gave New York a 3-1 series lead. One more victory would hand the Knicks their first championship since 1973.
OG Anunoby scored the winning basket with 1.2 seconds remaining, finishing with 33 points. Jalen Brunson added 36 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. The Spurs had led by as many as 29 points in the first half after shooting 60 percent from the floor and setting an NBA Finals record with 14 three-pointers before halftime.
San Antonio’s collapse was as dramatic as New York’s recovery. The Spurs outscored the Knicks by 29 in the first two quarters but were outplayed entirely in the second half. New York held them to 39 points after the break. The previous record for the largest comeback in Finals history was 18 points, set in 2016.
The match-up between the Knicks and Spurs surprised most analysts, who expected higher-seeded teams to advance from both conferences. San Antonio reached the Finals for the first time since 2014, driven by an offensive system that produced some of the best first-half basketball seen in a championship series in years. The game drew the largest US television audience for an NBA Finals game since 2019.
Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday in San Antonio. The Spurs must win or face elimination on their home floor. No team in NBA Finals history has recovered from a 3-1 deficit since the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich declined to address the comeback specifically in his post-game press conference, saying only that his team would be ready for Saturday.
New York fans filled Madison Square Garden beyond its usual atmosphere for each home game of the series. Anunoby’s game-winner came off a drive and touch shot after Brunson drew double coverage near the perimeter. Forward Josh Hart, who played all 48 minutes, described the comeback as something the team would be telling people about for the rest of their lives. The FIFA World Cup is also running simultaneously, making this one of the richest weeks in recent global sports history. Major cities are hosting both NBA Finals watch parties and World Cup viewing events at the same time. The entertainment sector has seen a boost from the dual sporting events, with box office figures and restaurant revenues both rising sharply this week. Full game statistics and video are available on the official NBA website. Game 5 tips off Saturday evening from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
