NEW YORK — The New York Knicks mounted one of the most stunning comebacks in NBA Finals history on Wednesday (U.S. time), erasing a 27-point halftime deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 107-106, in Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the championship series at Madison Square Garden.
The victory puts the Knicks one win away from their first NBA championship since 1973 — a 53-year drought that now teeters on the edge of ending. Game 5 is scheduled at San Antonio's Frost Bank Center, with tipoff set for the morning of Sunday, June 14, Philippine time.
Knicks Trailed by as Many as 29 Points Before Halftime
The Knicks were in deep trouble entering halftime. San Antonio outscored New York 76-49 in the first two quarters, with the Spurs' lead ballooning to as many as 29 points at one stage. Madison Square Garden, one of the most storied arenas in professional basketball, fell into a stunned silence as the Spurs appeared to be cruising toward an easy victory that would have tied the series at 2-2.
By the time the second half began, the Knicks needed a historic turnaround. What followed was exactly that.
Brunson and Anunoby Lead Second-Half Explosion
New York outscored San Antonio 58-30 in the final two quarters, holding the Spurs to just 14 points in the third period and 16 in the fourth. The defensive clampdown was total — and on the other end, the Knicks' offense caught fire in a manner few anticipated given the scoreline at the break.
Jalen Brunson was the engine of the comeback, finishing with 36 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Brunson repeatedly attacked the paint and drew fouls in the clutch moments of the fourth quarter, converting at the free-throw line when the game was still in the balance.
OG Anunoby was equally devastating from the perimeter, posting 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, including a remarkable 7-of-9 from three-point range. His performance from beyond the arc was a key factor in swinging the momentum entirely in New York's favor.
Karl-Anthony Towns contributed a steady 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Josh Hart filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds and six assists — the kind of complementary production that gave the Knicks the depth they needed for a 48-minute comeback effort.
Knicks Shoot 46.9 Percent From Three as a Team
As a team, the Knicks shot a blistering 46.9 percent from three-point range in Game 4, connecting on 15 of 32 attempts. That efficiency from distance was central to their ability to close the gap rapidly in the second half, as San Antonio's defense failed to adjust to the volume of open looks New York was generating off their improved ball movement.
New York also forced San Antonio into a difficult 3-of-10 night on second-chance opportunities and capitalized on Spurs turnovers — a stark contrast to the first half, when the visitors seemed capable of converting nearly every possession into points.
Wembanyama Posts 24 Points But Spurs Go Cold Late
San Antonio's collapse was not for lack of individual effort from its star players. Victor Wembanyama, the generational talent at the center of the Spurs' rebuild, finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks. However, the French center labored through an inefficient night from the field, shooting just 9-of-25 — a shooting performance that ultimately proved costly as New York's defense dialed in.
Rookie Dylan Harper was one of San Antonio's brighter performers, posting 21 points on an efficient 8-of-12 from the field. Devin Vassell contributed 18 points on five made three-pointers, and veteran guard De'Aaron Fox also scored 18 with seven assists. Despite those individual contributions, the Spurs went cold as a collective unit when it mattered most, and a lead that had seemed insurmountable at the half dissolved entirely.
53-Year Title Drought Within One Win of Ending
The Knicks last won the NBA championship in 1973, when Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and the rest of that storied New York squad claimed the franchise's second and most recent title. More than five decades have passed since that victory, through decades of playoff heartbreaks, rebuilding projects, and near-misses that have tested the patience of one of basketball's most passionate fanbases.
With a 3-1 series lead — a margin from which teams have historically closed out championships the vast majority of the time — New York now stands closer to ending that drought than at any point in the modern era of the league.
The Knicks will have the opportunity to clinch the title on the road, a scenario that, if successful, would add another chapter to what is already shaping up as a landmark postseason run for the franchise.
Game 5 Set for June 14 at Frost Bank Center, San Antonio
The series now shifts to Texas for Game 5, scheduled at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, with tipoff set for the morning of Sunday, June 14, Philippine time. For the Spurs, the situation is dire but not without precedent — NBA history contains a handful of teams that have successfully recovered from 3-1 deficits, though such comebacks remain statistically rare.
San Antonio must win Game 5 to force a Game 6 back at Madison Square Garden. Failing to do so would end the Spurs' season and hand New York its first championship banner in over half a century.
The pressure on San Antonio's coaching staff and roster will be immense heading into Sunday's contest. For a young team built around Wembanyama's promise and a roster of emerging talents, the task ahead is to find the consistency that defined their first-half performance in Game 4 — and sustain it for a full 48 minutes.
For New York, momentum and history both appear to be on their side. Whether the Knicks can close the door in Game 5 or whether the Spurs can stage a comeback series of their own remains the central question heading into the final stretch of the 2026 NBA Finals.
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