San Antonio earned its first win of the 2026 NBA Finals on Monday night, beating the New York Knicks 113-108 in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden to cut the series to 2-1.
The scoreline belied how the Spurs built the victory: Victor Wembanyama finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists, adding three blocks and two steals, and Stephon Castle contributed 23 points with five rebounds and five assists. Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points on 11-for-25 shooting while OG Anunoby produced 28 points on 9-for-13. The teams traded leads through a game that featured six lead changes and four ties before San Antonio took control late.
The decisive sequence came in the final seconds. Brunson hit a pull-up 3 to cut the deficit to 111-108, but De'Aaron Fox answered with a 15-footer in the lane with 12.2 seconds left that pushed the Spurs back in front 113-108 and proved to be the final big play. The win ended San Antonio's Finals drought and gave the Spurs life after dropping the first two games of the series.
San Antonio’s ball movement showed up in the box score: the Spurs finished with 28 assists to the Knicks' 18, and they turned turnovers into points, outscoring New York 21-7 off miscues despite committing eight giveaways themselves. Those margins helped mask uneven shooting and gave the Spurs enough runs to seize control in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks arrived in Game 3 leading the series 2-0 and unable to protect that cushion when it mattered most. New York squandered several opportunities in the final period as San Antonio imposed its pace and defensive length, a swing that erased what had looked like a comfortable early advantage in the Finals.
On the broadcast, the tone shifted with the result — the national announcer called it an inspiring road win and noted that San Antonio was suddenly right back in the series. Wembanyama, who dominated the headline stats, said afterward that the work was far from finished and that tougher tests still lie ahead, underscoring how little changes in terms of stakes despite the morale boost.
Timing matters: the game tipped at 8:30 ET on ABC /, and the series now heads into Game 4 with New York clinging to a one-game lead instead of a commanding 3-0 margin. That swing reshapes the immediate narrative around the NBA Finals schedule and what each team must do next: the Spurs need to prove Monday was more than a single-night correction, and the Knicks need to stop losing ground at home.
For fans tracking the matchup and remaining dates, see NBA Finals Schedule 2026: Spurs-Thunder Game 5 set for Tuesday at 8 ET — — but the urgent question for both franchises is simpler and sharper: can San Antonio build on this road win and even the series, or will New York regroup quickly and regain control in Game 4? That answer will determine whether Monday night is remembered as a momentum-shifter or merely a temporary detour.
