There will not be an NBA Finals sweep as the Spurs knocked off the Knicks in the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden this century



The New York Knicks' winning streak is over, and there will not be a sweep in the 2026 NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs came into Madison Square Garden and pulled out a 115-111 victory in Game 3 of the Finals on Monday night. The Knicks, who had won 13 straight playoff games, still lead the series, 2-1, ahead of Game 4 on Wednesday.

Victor Wembanyama scored 32 points and Stephon Castle added 23, including a clutch 3-pointer with less than two minutes left and the game-clinching free throws with six seconds remaining.

The Knicks, hosting their first Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999, jumped out to a seven-point halftime lead thanks to a huge second quarter. But the Spurs outscored New York by 11 in the second half. Jalen Brunson matched Wembanyama with 32 points and OG Anunoby added 28. But Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns were both much quieter offensively than they were in San Antonio. Towns scored 11 points and Bridges was held to two as they combined to go 0 for 5 from 3-point range.

Winner: Wembanyama's legendary response
In a must-win game, The Alien took over at MSG
Victor Wembanyama had a rough go of things in the first two games of the Finals. He looked nothing like himself in Game 1, and though he played much better overall a few nights later, he cost the Spurs in Game 2 with a late turnover and foul, followed by a miss from 15 feet on a potential game-winning jumper.

"I think the key is acceptance a lot of times, taking a step back, realizing all the journey that's behind this and what's ahead of this. Just being OK with who I am, where I am, what I'm doing," Wembanyama said Sunday when asked how he was dealing with the pressure of the Finals. "I think this is everything that I wished for. There's really no reason to overthink it. I mean, this is what I'm built for."

Wembanyama backed up the talk with his best performance of the Finals, and one his best all postseason. In an exhausting 39 minutes, he put up 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. He set new series-highs for scoring and assists, and a series-low for turnovers (one).

In the process, Wembanyama became the second-youngest player to record a 30-point, five-rebound, five-assist game in the Finals, behind only Magic Johnson.

Wembanyama has always been extremely confident in his own abilities, but the end of Game 2 was by far the lowest moment of his young career, and there was no telling how he would respond in a hostile atmosphere in Madison Square Garden. Delivering that sort of two-way performance at age 22 in his first road Finals game was legendary stuff.

Wembanyama said that he "Really tried to relax" heading into Game 3, which helped him play at such a high level.

"The Playoffs, it's like a -- I don't know how to say that word -- a whirlwind. It's hard to put your head out of the water," he said. "Sometimes I don't even got to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind."

Loser: Brunson's inefficient shooting
The Knicks star had 32 points, but he needed 25 shots to get them
Jalen Brunson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining in Game 1 and the go-ahead free throw with less than 10 seconds to play in Game 2 to help the Knicks secure dramatic victories despite his poor overall shooting. In Game 3, he couldn't come up with the heroics to overcome another inefficient outing.

Brunson, who hit a big 3 with 34 seconds left to cut the Knicks' deficit to three and give them a glimmer of hope, finished with 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting in the fourth. But in the first three quarters, he managed just 20 points on 7 of 18 shooting, which was a big reason why the Knicks were behind entering the final frame.

Here's a look at Brunson's lines for the series:

Game 1: 30 points, three rebounds, two assists, four turnovers on 12 of 31 (38.7%) FG, 2 of 9 (22.2%) 3FG
Game 2: 20 points, five rebounds, six assists, four turnovers on 7 of 25 (28%) FG, 2 of 8 (25%) 3FG
Game 3: 32 points, five rebounds, five assists, five turnovers on 11 of 25 (44%) FG, 3 of 5 (60%) 3FG
For the series, Brunson is averaging 27.3 points, but he's shooting 37% from the field and 31.8% from 3-point range, and has as many turnovers (13) as assists. If a few plays had gone differently down the stretch in San Antonio, the Spurs could easily be up 3-0 and on the verge of a sweep, and everyone would be wondering what was wrong with Brunson.

The Spurs' defense has been incredible. With Stephon Castle leading the way, they're able to throw a parade of big, physical perimeter players at Brunson, and they've beat him up all series with hard fouls (and some uncalled contact) -- a trend which continued Monday.

Brunson was better in Game 3, and the Knicks don't need him to shoot 75%, but he has to find a way to score more efficiently than he has in the first three games. As great as the Knicks' supporting cast has been throughout this playoff run, Brunson is their engine, and it's hard for them to sustain their offense when he's not at his best.

"Maybe a mix of both," Brunson said, when asked if he got to the spots he wanted or the Spurs were bothering him. He did not want to talk about his own performance, though. "I think most importantly, the little things, the attention to detail, the stuff that we pride ourselves on, we didn't do it tonight. So regardless of whatever shots we were getting, the little things could make or break a game."

Winner: Fox finds redemption
De'Aaron Fox hit a huge jumper when the Spurs needed it
Fox got crushed after Game 1, both for his poor overall play -- seven points, five assists, three turnovers on 3-of-13 shooting -- and the key jumper he missed in the final minute that would have tied the game. He struggled with his shot again in Game 3 -- 12 points, 4 of 14 this time around -- but this time he came up clutch when it mattered.

With less than 20 seconds to play, the Spurs were clinging to a three-point lead and needed someone to come up with a play to halt the Knicks' momentum. Fox was the man for the job. He isolated on the perimeter against OG Anunoby, one of the best defenders in the league, drove left and pulled up from the free-throw line. This shot was much tougher than the one he missed in Game 1, but this time he caught nothing but net.

Fox's redemptive shot pushed the Spurs' lead back up to five and helped seal the victory.

"I mean, making that shot, like I said, it's a make-or-miss league a lot of times," Fox said. "A lot of times it's get to your spot. If you miss that shot, like, it is what it is. You try to make that shot more often than not, obviously. It feels good to hit a big shot down the stretch."

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