By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Halting a dominant postseason streak in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks, 115–111, in Madison Square Garden on Sunday, preventing their opponents from claiming a commanding 3–0 lead in the NBA Finals 2026.
Besides his side reducing the series deficit to 2–1, European superstar Victor Wembanyama successfully captured his first career victory in MSG, fueling a scorching start that helped the visitors seize an early 12-point cushion. The 22-year-old French center finished with 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including two three-pointers, to go with eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals in 39 minutes of action.
With Stephon Castle adding 23 points, including a clutch triple to restore a seven-point advantage in crunch time, one of his five assists allowed the Le Chesnay native to open the scoring in the fourth quarter. While both sides shot poorly as nerves took over down the stretch, the Spurs engineered critical defensive stops to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit and build a double-digit advantage in the final period, before narrowly holding on to secure victory. New York had briefly controlled Game 3 by outscoring the Mitch Johnson-coached squad by 18 points in the second quarter.
British forward OG Anunoby provided the heavy lifting, racking up 17 points by the break. The London native and 2019 NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors lasted 34 minutes, producing 28 points on 9-of-12 field goals, and registered three blocks, all on Dylan Harper, besides five rebounds and one assist. Poland’s Jeremy Sochan made a brief appearance in the third quarter, but fellow European contingent members Pacome Dadiet and Mohamed Diawara of France, alongside Germany’s Ariel Hukporti.
With Donald Trump becoming the first sitting United States president to attend the NBA Finals, drawing mixed reactions from fans, the Knicks’ losing effort snapped their 13-game winning streak. Without heightened security measures, Game 4 will be held at the same venue on Wednesday.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 4-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79, 116-94)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112, 114-102)
New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-4 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106, 100-109)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers 3-4 (111-101, 107-97, 109-116, 103-112, 113-117, 115-94, 94-125)
New York Knicks – Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 (137-98, 108-102, 108-94, 144-114)
Finals (best-of-seven)
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 (115-104, 109-93, 121-108, 130-93)
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 4-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99, 98-78)
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 (108-90, 125-107, 131-108, 115-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2 (102-104, 133-95, 115-108, 109-114, 126-97, 139-109)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs 3-4 (115-122, 122-113, 123-108, 82-103, 127-114, 91-118, 103-111)
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks 1-2 (95-105, 104-105, 115-111)
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