The San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks 115-111 at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, according to ESPN. The victory cut New York’s series advantage to 2-1; the Knicks remain favorites to win their first championship in 53 years and still have two remaining home games, including Game 4 on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN App, according to ESPN. No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in an NBA playoff series, making Game 3 a must-win for San Antonio.
San Antonio’s offensive issues through the first two Finals games were clear. The Spurs and Knicks finished the regular season tied for third in offensive rating, but San Antonio had produced just 100.5 points per 100 possessions in the Finals, according to ESPN. For context, the season’s worst offensive team, the Brooklyn Nets, averaged 108.2 points per 100 possessions — nearly eight ticks better than the Spurs against New York.
The Spurs set the tone early by targeting Victor Wembanyama down low. Using their ’45 screen’ set, Stephon Castle drove after screens from Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie, then kicked to De’Aaron Fox for a drive and an alley-oop to Wembanyama over Karl-Anthony Towns. Later, Champagnie and Wembanyama ran staggered screens that forced Towns away from the paint and freed Wembanyama for another dunk.
Five minutes into the game, Wembanyama had nine points on 4-for-4 shooting and Castle had seven on 3-for-3; the pair had three assists at that point — two from Castle to Wembanyama and one the other way, according to ESPN. The Spurs avoided the scoring lulls that had hurt them earlier in the series, finishing no quarter with fewer than 23 points after recording 18-, 19- and 21-point quarters in Games 1 and 2.
Wembanyama scored off four lobs in Game 3, including a tipped layup, tying the mark for his most in any playoff game, and he set 35 picks — his third-highest single-game total this season behind Games 1 and 7 of the conference finals, according to ESPN. San Antonio also carried momentum from a Game 2 comeback, when it erased a 14-point Knicks lead, and snapped New York’s 13-game win streak with Monday’s victory.
