Knicks rally from record deficit to move within one win of NBA title

NEW YORK: The New York Knicks produced the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history on Wednesday, overturning a 29-point deficit to edge the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 and move 3-1 ahead in the best-of-seven championship series.

OG Anunoby scored the winning basket with 1.2 seconds left, tipping in Jalen Brunson's missed three-point attempt to put New York one victory away from its first NBA title since 1973. The series will return to San Antonio for game five on Saturday.

Brunson finished with 36 points, while Anunoby added 33 for the Knicks. For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama had 24 points and 13 rebounds, Dylan Harper scored 21, and De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell contributed 18 points each.

Speaking after the game, Anunoby said:

"Just do whatever it takes to win,"

He added:

I inbounded the ball to Jalen. He got a pretty good look and I just went and crashed. The ball went over my head, so I couldn't really dunk it. So I tried to tip it in softly and it went in.

Spurs squander huge lead

San Antonio had made a blistering start and set a Finals record with 14 three-pointers in the first half. After winning the first quarter 41-29 while shooting 15 of 23 from the field, the Spurs stretched their advantage to 29 points and took a 76-49 lead into the break.

San Antonio's 27-point half-time advantage was the largest ever held by a road team in Finals history. But the Spurs managed only 30 points in the second half as New York steadily fought back into the game.

The previous biggest comeback in NBA Finals history had been 24 points, achieved by the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.

Wembanyama said after the defeat:

I can't really explain it right now. I don't know. I think it's just execution, greediness of some sort. We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half.

Knicks turn game around after half-time

New York struggled early, making just 29.4 percent of its shots in the opening quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two early fouls, while reserve Mitchell Robinson was called for a flagrant foul after striking Wembanyama in the throat with his forearm. Brunson, under intense defensive pressure, did not make a field goal until the second quarter.

Early in the third quarter, Wembanyama was assessed a flagrant foul after catching Towns with an elbow to the face. That left him one flagrant foul away from an automatic suspension, and the Knicks responded with a 13-0 run as the Spurs lost momentum. San Antonio shot just four of 20 in the third quarter and committed five turnovers after giving the ball away only twice in the first half.

Even so, the Spurs led 90-75 going into the final period before New York mounted its decisive push. Towns scored on a drive over Wembanyama to cut the gap to 97-88. Brunson then gave the Knicks their first lead of the night with a floater that made it 105-104 with 1:22 remaining.

After Stephon Castle hit two free throws to restore San Antonio's advantage, Anunoby rose over a crowd of defenders for the winning tip-in. The Spurs were unable to get off another shot.

Towns said:

"It was an ugly, ugly game,"

He also praised the home crowd for staying behind the team despite the first-half collapse.

Knicks coach Mike Brown said:

You talk about a total team effort when we hit adversity. Our guys showed their resiliency and showed they're connected enough to handle a moment like that.