The New York Knicks made a record comeback from 29 points down and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973 by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday night. OG Anunoby tipped in the miss of Jalen Brunson’s long 3-point attempt with 1.2 seconds remaining to complete the rally, giving the Knicks a 3-1 lead and three chances to win the championship. It looked impossible early, when the Spurs rolled to a 27-point halftime lead. But Brunson helped bring the Knicks
back with 36 points and Anunoby finished with 33. Game 5 is Saturday night in San Antonio. Read moreNew York Knicks hold off Wembanyama’s Spurs to take the lead in NBA Finals No team had come from more than 24 points down in a finals game, when Boston did it against the Lakers in 2008, since the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters in 1997. The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter. The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak snapped in
Game 3 and seemed headed for a second straight defeat throughout the first half, when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs opened the biggest NBA Finals halftime lead by a visiting team. But the young Spurs, who made 11 of their first 16 3-pointers, went cold in the second half, going 3 for 17 behind the arc as the Knicks outscored them 58-30. Delirious fans inside Madison Square Garden sang along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” a few minutes after watching something that seemed almost impossible.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, NBA Finals, OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, comeback, 29 points down, 107-106, Madison Square Garden, Game 5, 1973 championship