The Game Turned Late
The New York Knicks lost for the first time in 46 days on Monday night, falling to the San Antonio Spurs 115-111 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks had won 13 consecutive games coming in.
The series has been unusual. The visiting team has won all three games so far. The Spurs led by double digits in both home games, squandered those advantages, and now trail 2-1 despite that. The Knicks led by seven at halftime in Game 3 and lost. It is the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Jalen Brunson finished with 32 points in the loss but needed 25 shots to get there. He had five assists and five turnovers. For the series, he has 13 assists and 13 turnovers — the same number. During the regular season, he averaged 6.8 assists against 2.4 turnovers. The Spurs have thrown large, athletic defenders at him: Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson.
The Small Details Added Up
Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks in Game 3 but did not score in the fourth quarter. He has yet to score in any fourth quarter through three games. In Game 1, his only fourth-quarter attempt missed. In Game 2, his only fourth-quarter attempt missed. Towns shot well overall in both games but has not converted once in the final frame.
Keldon Johnson, the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, has averaged 4.3 points in the series on 38.5% shooting from the field, 25% from three and 33.3% from the foul line. He played 13.6 minutes per game. Coach Mitch Johnson went with three-guard lineups featuring De'Aaron Fox, Castle and Harper for extended stretches instead.
Victor Wembanyama had 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals in Game 3, shooting 61.1% from the floor. He took only four three-pointers after attempting nine in Game 1 and six in Game 2. The Spurs won. In Game 3, he shoved Brunson from behind while guarding him. No foul was called.
The Table Looks Different
Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday.
What This Means for the Series
The Knicks' 46-day winning streak came to a dramatic end Monday night, and now face their first significant deficit of these NBA Finals. After winning the first two games on the road despite squandering double-digit leads, the Spurs flipped the script at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks had been dominant all season. The series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 4 on Wednesday, and the home team will need to defend its court to avoid letting New York knot the series at two games apiece. The Knicks haven't lost back-to-back games since early March, and they'll need to rediscover their second-half execution quickly if they want to reclaim home-court advantage. This series continues to deliver unexpected moments, with the road team winning every contest so far.