In brief
The Knicks trailed by 29 points in the third quarter before rallying to win 107-106, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
OG Anunoby tipped in Jalen Brunson's missed three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left, capping a 33-point performance.
New York can clinch its first championship since 1973 with a win in Game 5 at San Antonio on Saturday.
San Antonio scored only 30 points in the second half after hitting an NBA Finals-record 14 first-half three-pointers.
Analyst Charles Barkley called the Spurs the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation for blowing the lead.
The comeback
The New York Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 and take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. OG Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds left punctuated a rally that had seemed impossible when the Spurs built an 81-52 advantage midway through the third quarter. The comeback surpassed the previous Finals record of 24 points set by Boston against the Lakers in 2008, according to play-by-play data tracked by the league since 1997. No team had ever recovered from a larger hole in a championship-round game.
The Knicks, who last won a title in 1973, can clinch the championship on Saturday night in San Antonio. Outside Madison Square Garden, fans chanted "Knicks in five" into the early hours, and the Empire State Building glowed in orange and blue. Police made several arrests after skirmishes broke out between supporters of the two teams a few blocks from the arena, while inside a celebrity row that included Taylor Swift and Spike Lee erupted when Anunoby's tap fell through the net.
How it happened
San Antonio dominated the first half behind Victor Wembanyama (24 points, 13 rebounds) and a record 14 three-pointers in the opening two quarters, shooting 65.2% in a 41-22 first quarter and taking a 76-49 lead at the break. The lead grew to 29 points early in the third. A flagrant foul on Wembanyama against Karl-Anthony Towns with 9:27 left in the period ignited the Knicks, who scored the next 13 points. Still, the Spurs carried a 90-75 edge into the fourth and stretched it to 95-75 before New York's final push.
Jose Alvarado's three-pointer that rolled around the rim sparked the run. Consecutive threes from Alvarado and Jalen Brunson (36 points, seven assists) pulled the Knicks within 105-104 with 2:21 to play. After a Spurs turnover and a missed layup by Josh Hart, Wembanyama missed two free throws. Brunson then hit a floater for New York's first lead. Stephon Castle answered with two foul shots to put San Antonio back in front 106-105 at the 30.3-second mark. Anunoby blocked De'Aaron Fox on the next possession to set up the decisive inbounds with 5.7 seconds left. Brunson's long three rimmed out, but Anunoby soared in for the tap-in.
- Jalen Brunson
- 36 points
- OG Anunoby
- 33 points
- Victor Wembanyama
- 24 points
- Dylan Harper
- 21 points
- Devin Vassell
- 18 points
- De'Aaron Fox
- 18 points
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Voices from the arena
Knicks coach Mike Brown called Anunoby's play the most iconic in franchise history.
“I don't know if there was a play bigger than (that) in the history of Knicks basketball.”
“We know it's a game of runs. We're a resilient group. We've been through a lot. 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.”
On the losing side, Wembanyama acknowledged the pain.
“Things can go in two directions, one positive and one negative. Either you give up, or you use the situation to become stronger, to unite as a team, and I know that's what we will do. It hurts.”
ESPN analyst Charles Barkley was blunter, telling the "Inside the NBA" postgame show:
“We saw the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation. That was some of the most stupid-ass stuff I've ever seen on a basketball court.”
What's next
Only one team has rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals: LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers against Golden State in 2016. San Antonio must win Game 5 at home on Saturday to extend the series. The Knicks, meanwhile, are one victory from their first championship in 53 years. New Yorkers who streamed out of Madison Square Garden and into the streets carried that belief with them. "Knicks in five," shouted one commuter across Seventh Avenue the next morning, a sentiment that now hangs over the entire series.