After an eight-game stretch that made him one of the postseason’s hottest 3-point threats, Landry Shamet was held to three points on 1-of-8 shooting as the Knicks lost 115-111 to the Spurs in NBA Finals Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
The NBA Finals returned to Madison Square Garden with the kind of electricity that doesn’t usually fade—especially not when Landry Shamet is riding a run.
Game 3 was supposed to be another chapter in his improbable turnaround. In the first round. he’d been booted from the rotation. then he reappeared like a spark: eight games of elite 3-point shooting. the best stretch of its kind in playoff history. Entering Monday night’s 115-111 Knicks loss to the Spurs. Shamet had been nearly unstoppable from deep. hovering around 68 percent from the perimeter across those previous eight games. and scoring at least 13 points in each of his previous four.
But Madison Square Garden had a different story in mind. Shamet scored just three points while shooting 1-for-8 from the field as the Knicks fell, bringing his shooting slump into the most unforgiving spotlight of the season.
He finished 1-for-7 from 3-point range and finished with a team-worst minus-20 rating.
“Great process, got some great looks, had a few that were down and out,” Shamet said. “Process over outcome. I’m more upset about some of the things defensively that I’ve been priding myself on. I had a few possessions where I didn’t do my job like I needed to. That’s fixable. Sometimes the gods give you in and outs and the ball doesn’t go in.”.
Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado tried to steady the mood off the bench, combining for 10 points, three rebounds from Clarkson and four points, three rebounds from Alvarado. Miles McBride saw nine minutes without scoring, and still the Knicks didn’t find enough consistency to stop San Antonio.
Shamet did get one moment late in the third quarter: a 3-pointer that pulled New York within two. But the fourth quarter turned into something harsher. He missed three attempts down the stretch, including a forced, ugly 3-pointer that drew groans from a mostly electric crowd.
“They came out, they made adjustments, they were more physical,” Shamet said. “They kicked our ass and we’ve gotta bounce back.
“We gotta look in the mirror and get better and we’ll do that. I feel good about knowing we can clean some things up. We’ll be better in Game 4.”
For Shamet, the loss wasn’t just about one night going cold—it was about the weight of the moment. The Game 3 atmosphere, he said, felt larger than the building.
“The city was crazy, you could feel it from Mars, I’m sure,” Shamet said of the Game 3 atmosphere. “New York was buzzing. A lot of energy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a win from the home fans, but we’ll respond and we’ll be better.”
Now comes Game 4, and another shot at proving the spark wasn’t a fluke—just one brutal reminder that even the best runs eventually meet the law of averages.
Landry Shamet Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals Game 3 Madison Square Garden 2026 NBA playoffs 3-point shooting slump
Bro went cold like instantly. 1-for-8 is wild.
I feel like they just stopped feeding him. Also how you get held to 3 after being hot?? But hey defense probably, idk.
So he said “gods give you in and outs” like that explains it lol. Defense is fixable but minus-20 is crazy. Spurs were probably just cheating with the refs or something because MSG wouldn’t let that happen normally.
Game 3 at home and he only got 3?? That’s on the whole team, not just him. And I swear these Finals games are like scripted, like once someone’s hot they make them disappear. Jose Alvarado and Clarkson trying off the bench didn’t help. I’m just saying, if he’s that close to 68% from 3, why even expect it to last? Idk.