Knicks Complete Historic 29-Point Comeback Against the Spurs, One Win From NBA Championship

OG Anunoby powers a historic 29-point comeback with a clutch game-winning tip-in as the Knicks stun the Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 to move one win away from the NBA Championship.

The Knicks entered Game 4 of the NBA Finals with an opportunity to take complete control of the series. After securing victories in Games 1 and 2, New York saw its momentum slowed by a disappointing Game 3 loss to the Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Still holding a 2-1 series lead, the Knicks knew a win on Wednesday night would put them one victory away from their first championship since 1973.

With the Garden crowd looking for a bounce-back performance, Mike Brown's squad aimed to avoid letting San Antonio even the series at two games apiece. Instead of dwelling on Sunday's loss, New York hoped to reestablish its physical identity, defend home court, and carry a commanding 3-1 advantage back to San Antonio. 

Quarter 1

The atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden was loud and energized before tip-off, but the opening quarter quickly belonged to the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama won the opening tip, and San Antonio wasted no time getting on the board. De'Aaron Fox attacked the paint on the game's first possession and drew a foul on Karl-Anthony Towns, calmly converting both free throws.

The Knicks briefly answered when Towns recovered from a near turnover, working a give-and-go sequence with Josh Hart before floating in New York's first basket. However, San Antonio immediately began to find its rhythm from beyond the arc. Devin Vassell knocked down a difficult three-pointer and would soon become one of the biggest problems for the Knicks' defense throughout the quarter.

One of the game's first major turning points came when Wembanyama was called for a foul while defending Towns at the rim. Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson immediately challenged the call, and after review, officials overturned it into an offensive foul on Towns. The decision sparked controversy inside the Garden, as many believed Wembanyama had initiated the contact. Instead of Towns heading to the free-throw line, the Knicks were charged with a turnover.

From there, San Antonio began to pull away. Wembanyama scored inside against Mitchell Robinson, while the Knicks struggled to finish quality opportunities. Brunson missed a jumper, Robinson failed to convert multiple second-chance opportunities, and OG Anunoby came up short on an early mid-range attempt. On the other end, Vassell continued to make New York pay, knocking down another open corner three.

Things got even worse when a careless Hart pass was intercepted by Julian Champagnie, who raced the other way for a transition dunk. Suddenly, the Spurs were ahead 12-2, forcing Mike Brown to call an early timeout.

The Knicks finally found some life coming out of the break. Anunoby buried a corner three, then later added two free-throws after drawing contact from Fox. Hart followed with one of New York's best plays of the quarter, driving aggressively through traffic for an and-one finish and converting the three-point play. Yet every Knicks basket seemed to be matched by a Spurs response.

This almost seemed enough to cut the Spurs' lead short.

However, Stephon Castle played a major role in maintaining San Antonio's momentum. He knocked down a difficult shot despite tight defense from Hart, later added a wide-open three from the top of the key, and consistently pressured New York's defense. Vassell remained scorching hot, drilling another three-pointer as the Spurs opened an 8-0 run and stretched the lead to 22-10.

The Knicks simply could not slow down San Antonio's perimeter attack. Wembanyama added a three over Ariel Hukporti, giving the Spurs their fifth three-pointer on just six attempts. By contrast, New York struggled to generate consistent offense, with Brunson seeing a shot blocked by Wembanyama and multiple possessions ending without quality looks.

Mikal Bridges provided a few bright spots. He knocked down one of his signature mid-range jumpers before later connecting on a much-needed corner three after Brunson found him open. Defensively, Robinson and Bridges teamed up for a strong sequence that included a block, but even those efforts failed to generate lasting momentum.

The quarter also featured several strange officiating moments. A potential goaltending call on Luke Kornet was not awarded, resulting instead in a turnover against the Knicks. Both teams were later called for defensive three-second violations on consecutive possessions. Towns converted the technical free throw for New York, while Vassell answered with one of his own for San Antonio.

As the final minute approached, Wembanyama continued to dominate. He muscled his way past Robinson for another basket and later drew an offensive foul that was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after review. The Spurs star calmly knocked down both free-throws before San Antonio closed the quarter with yet another score, as Vassell connected on a jumper following an inbound play.

Brunson managed two late free-throws, but the damage had already been done. San Antonio finished the quarter shooting lights out, hitting six of their first eight three-point attempts while committing zero turnovers. Meanwhile, the Knicks struggled offensively, managed just four turnovers of their own, and never found a consistent rhythm against the Spurs' disciplined defense.

When the first-quarter buzzer sounded, New York found itself staring at a massive 41-22 deficit, needing a dramatic response to avoid falling into an even deeper hole on its home floor.

Quarter 2

If the Knicks were hoping to erase their rough first quarter with a strong start to the second, the Spurs had other plans. OG Anunoby opened the period with a clutch corner three just before the shot-clock expired, briefly giving the Madison Square Garden crowd something to cheer about. However, San Antonio immediately responded when De'Aaron Fox buried a corner three of his own, a theme that would continue throughout the quarter as every Knicks push was met with a Spurs answer.

New York's frustration continued on the next few possessions. Karl-Anthony Towns attempted a bounce pass into traffic, only for Fox to jump the passing lane and create another Spurs opportunity. Although the Knicks forced a loose-ball situation and Jose Alvarado was called for a foul, San Antonio challenged to see whether it met the criteria for a Flagrant 1. After review, officials ruled it a common foul, and moments later Wembanyama converted an and-one opportunity to keep the Spurs firmly in control.

To New York's credit, there were flashes of resistance. Towns grabbed an offensive rebound after a Brunson miss and powered home a put-back while drawing contact from Carter Bryant. The three-point play showcased the physicality the Knicks desperately needed. Brunson then finally recorded his first field goal of the game on a tough running layup, but every basket felt insignificant against San Antonio's relentless offensive execution.

The Spurs simply could not miss from deep. Dylan Harper knocked down a three, Bryant added another wide-open corner triple, and Champagnie continued the barrage from the perimeter. What had started as a difficult deficit quickly ballooned into a 24-point hole as New York struggled to rotate defensively and close out shooters.

Brunson tried to keep the Knicks alive. He scored on a difficult leaning shot against Fox, attacked the rim repeatedly, and later sparked the Garden with back-to-back coast-to-coast layups following a steal and a defensive rebound. Those hustle plays briefly injected life into the crowd and forced Spurs' head coach Mitch Johnson to call timeout before any real momentum could build.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, momentum never truly arrived. Vassell knocked down another impossible-looking corner three, Fox connected on a turnaround jumper, and Harper continued his breakout half with confident shot-making from all over the floor. Every defensive breakdown seemed to end with a Spurs basket, and by midway through the quarter San Antonio had already shattered any hopes of a quick comeback.

The officiating crew remained busy as well. Luke Kornet was involved in multiple physical sequences, including fouls against both Robinson and Towns. One particularly frustrating moment came when Brunson appeared to hit a three-pointer, only for the basket to be wiped away following a review that instead awarded Robinson free-throws. Mitchell Robinson missed both attempts, and what could have been a momentum-changing possession instead resulted in no points for the orange and blue.

As the half wore on, Brunson remained New York's most consistent source of offense. He continued attacking downhill, earned trips to the free-throw line, and eventually knocked down a much-needed three after Hart secured his own missed free-throw to keep the possession alive. Yet even then, the Spurs refused to slow down.

For New York, Harper was particularly devastating. The rookie repeatedly attacked the paint, knocked down another three-pointer, and later drilled a wide-open corner triple that helped San Antonio set an NBA Finals record for most three-pointers made in a single half. Combined with the production from Wembanyama, Vassell, Fox, and Champagnie, it felt like every Spur who touched the ball was making an impact.

By halftime, the numbers painted a brutal picture. The Spurs had torched the Knicks from beyond the arc, moved the ball beautifully (unfortunately), and punished nearly every defensive mistake. Brunson, Anunoby, and Towns fought to keep New York within striking distance, but the deficit continued to grow.

When Fox's final floater missed at the buzzer, it provided little consolation. The Knicks headed into the locker room trailing 76-49, facing a daunting 27-point deficit and needing a near-perfect second half to keep Game 4 from slipping away.

Quarter 3

After being thoroughly outplayed for most of the first half, the Knicks desperately needed a response coming out of the locker room. While the comeback attempt didn't begin perfectly, New York finally showed the energy, defensive intensity, and urgency that had been missing for much of the night.

The quarter opened with OG Anunoby missing a mid-range jumper before Josh Hart unsuccessfully tried to save the possession. San Antonio initially looked ready to continue its dominance as Victor Wembanyama scored a running jumper and blocked Mikal Bridges at the rim. However, one of the first positive signs for New York came when Jalen Brunson stepped in and drew an offensive charge on Stephon Castle, handing the rookie his fourth foul and sending him to the bench.

Even then, mistakes continued to haunt the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns lost the ball off his leg for a turnover, while De'Aaron Fox continued his strong performance despite dealing with an ankle injury, knocking down a tough jumper over Anunoby.

A few possessions later, Towns absorbed an elbow to the chin from Wembanyama while battling inside. After a Spurs challenge and lengthy review, officials upgraded the play to a Flagrant 1 foul. Towns calmly knocked down both free throws, and that sequence unexpectedly became one of the turning points of the quarter.

At the time, New York still trailed 81-54 and appeared dead in the water.

Then, everything changed.

After several missed Spurs opportunities, Hart pushed the pace in transition and found Anunoby for a thunderous running dunk. Brunson followed with a three-pointer, and suddenly the Knicks began playing with the speed and aggression that had been missing through the first half. San Antonio's offense, which had looked unstoppable earlier, suddenly stalled.

The Knicks ripped off a 7-0 run, forcing Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson to call timeout as a 29-point deficit was trimmed to 22.

The run didn't stop there.

Anunoby, who had quietly been New York's most efficient scorer all game, drilled another three-pointer, his fourth of the night. By that point, the Knicks had put together a 10-0 run and completely flipped the energy inside Madison Square Garden. For the first time all night, the Spurs looked uncomfortable.

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San Antonio's shooting touch vanished. Keldon Johnson missed an open corner three. Fox missed a step-back triple. Vassell came up empty from deep. The Spurs, who had looked unstoppable in the first half, suddenly struggled to generate quality offense.

Meanwhile, the Knicks continued attacking.

Hart delivered one of the biggest shots of the quarter, burying a three-pointer from the top of the arc to extend New York's run to 13-0. Defensively, Towns grabbed key rebounds, forced turnovers, and helped ignite transition opportunities. Even when the Knicks couldn't convert immediately, they were finally winning the hustle battles that had favoured San Antonio earlier.

Castle eventually stopped some of the bleeding with a pair of free throws, and Dylan Harper added two more after drawing Towns' fourth foul. But, Brunson had officially found his rhythm. The Knicks captain attacked relentlessly, converting a driving floater through contact before completing the three-point play. Moments later, he knocked down a smooth step-back jumper and continued controlling the pace of the game. After struggling through much of the first half, Brunson suddenly looked like the superstar who had carried New York throughout the postseason.

By the midway point of the quarter, the Knicks had outscored the Spurs 16-4 over a six-minute stretch.

Anunoby continued his outstanding performance, eventually reaching 25 points after knocking down another difficult three-pointer that bounced around the rim before falling through. Every basket further energized the Garden crowd, which had gone from stunned silence in the first half to believing a comeback was possible.

Brunson added another highlight when he connected with Mitchell Robinson on a perfectly timed alley-oop dunk. Defensively, the Knicks forced multiple turnovers, including several careless Fox giveaways, while San Antonio's offense completely cooled off. Wembanyama misfired on several consecutive three-point attempts, a sharp contrast from the first half when nearly everything seemed to fall.

The Spurs did get a much-needed three from Vassell late in the quarter, helping stabilize things briefly, but New York continued chipping away. By the final minutes, what had once been a nearly 30-point blowout had become a much more manageable game.

When Wembanyama missed a pull-up jumper just before the buzzer, the Knicks had completed one of their strongest stretches of basketball all postseason (aside from Game 1 vs. Cleveland). They still trailed, but the momentum had completely shifted.

After entering the quarter down by 27 points, New York stormed back behind Brunson's leadership, Anunoby's hot shooting, and vastly improved defense, cutting the deficit to just 90-75 heading into the fourth quarter.

Final Quarter

Down 90-75 entering the fourth quarter, the Knicks still had a mountain to climb. They had already erased a large portion of San Antonio's 29-point lead during the third quarter, but they needed one final push to complete what seemed impossible only an hour earlier.

The quarter began with Mitchell Robinson making his presence felt defensively, rejecting a Wembanyama layup attempt. Moments later, head coach Mike Brown successfully challenged an out-of-bounds call after officials reviewed the play and determined the ball had last touched Wembanyama. The successful challenge gave New York an extra possession and continued building momentum, even though Wembanyama immediately answered by blocking a Deuce McBride corner three.

San Antonio initially managed to keep the Knicks at arm's length. Dylan Harper scored inside, Wembanyama cleaned up one of his own misses, and the Spurs continued generating second-chance opportunities. Yet unlike earlier in the game, New York never looked discouraged.

Jose Alvarado gave the Knicks a huge spark midway through the quarter. After Towns fought through a double-team, Alvarado knocked down a corner three that rolled home. Bridges then finished a beautiful transition sequence after a brilliant pass from Josh Hart, forcing the Spurs to call timeout as New York trimmed the deficit to 95-80.

The Knicks' defensive intensity continued to rise. Hart forced Castle into a shot-clock violation with relentless pressure, and moments later Towns drilled a difficult step-back three-pointer. Suddenly the lead was down to 12.

Then came the run that changed everything.

Anunoby buried a massive three-pointer before stealing a careless Harper pass on the next possession. Towns attacked Wembanyama at the rim and finished through contact, capping a 13-2 Knicks run that cut the deficit to single digits at 97-88. For the first time all night, the Garden crowd truly believed a comeback was possible.

Brunson then took over.

The Knicks captain calmly knocked down free-throws, attacked the paint against multiple defenders, and continued putting pressure on San Antonio's defense. His ability to get downhill completely changed the game. While the Spurs struggled to find answers offensively, Brunson kept delivering possession after possession.

After another Spurs miss, Anunoby struck again.

The veteran forward, who had been sensational all night, drilled a huge corner three that brought Madison Square Garden to life. The Knicks had now completed a stunning 20-4 run and trailed only 99-95. Every possession suddenly felt enormous.

San Antonio desperately needed a response and got one from Fox, who knocked down a triple to briefly push the lead back to seven. Wembanyama followed with a contested jumper, but New York refused to go away. Alvarado answered with a huge three of his own, cutting the deficit to just four with just over three minutes remaining.

Then came one of the biggest shots of the season.

After a strong defensive possession forced another Spurs miss, Brunson found himself matched up against Wembanyama. With the Garden crowd on its feet, Brunson stepped into a difficult three-pointer and buried it right over the outstretched arms of the Spurs superstar.

The arena exploded.

A game that once looked completely out of reach was suddenly a one-point contest.

The Knicks continued to pressure San Antonio into mistakes. Hart stole a Fox pass moments later but missed a transition layup that would have given New York the lead. Still, the Spurs failed to capitalize. Wembanyama missed both free-throws after being fouled, giving the Knicks another opportunity.

Brunson made sure they didn't waste it.

With just over a minute remaining, the Knicks star drove into the lane and floated home a soft runner, giving New York its first lead of the entire game at 105-104. After trailing by as many as 29 points, the Knicks were suddenly in front.

The Garden was shaking. But the drama wasn't over yet.

Castle later stepped out of bounds under heavy pressure from Hart, giving New York another crucial possession. However, Brunson missed a jumper, and after a Spurs timeout, Castle redeemed himself by drawing a foul and converting two clutch free-throws to put San Antonio back ahead 106-105 with just 30.3 seconds left.

The Knicks called timeout and put the ball in Brunson's hands. Brunson drove into the paint looking for another miracle but came up short on a floater. Fortunately for New York, Anunoby made another game-saving defensive play by blocking Fox's transition attempt on the other end. After a scramble, the Knicks secured possession and called their final timeout with only 5.7 seconds remaining.

One last chance.

Out of the timeout, Anunoby inbounded to Brunson and immediately got the ball back. Brunson launched a difficult three that missed, but Anunoby never stopped moving. He crashed the glass, elevated over everyone, and tipped the ball back into the basket with just 1.2 seconds remaining.

Madison Square Garden erupted.

The Knicks had completed the impossible.

San Antonio called its final timeout and advanced the ball, but New York's defense held firm one last time. Harper inbounded to Castle, but Hart smothered him before he could get a clean look. The buzzer sounded, and the celebration began.

The Knicks completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, storming back from a 29-point deficit to defeat the Spurs 107-106 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Brunson finished with a game-high 36 points and authored one of the greatest Finals performances in franchise history. But Anunoby in my opinion, was the hero tonight, pouring in 33 points, knocking down seven three-pointers, delivering countless defensive plays, and ultimately scoring the game-winning tip-in. Towns added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while helping ignite the second-half turnaround.

For San Antonio, Wembanyama led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Harper added 21 points, Fox and Vassell each scored 18, and Castle contributed 13 points. However, the Spurs would soon be haunted by blowing a 29-point lead and watching victory slip away in the final seconds.

Next up, the New York Knicks will be facing the San Antonio Spurs on the road for Game 5 at MSG (3-1) on Saturday June 13, at 8:30 p.m. E.T. for a chance to win their third championship title since 1973.