Knicks shock Spurs with largest comeback in NBA Finals history: The biggest numbers behind unbelievable Game 4

The Knicks have done it! They've completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history to stun the Spurs and take a 3-1 lead in the 2026 Finals. They were down by as many as 29 and by 20 in the fourth quarter. OG Anunoby was the hero with the game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds left.

Anunoby, who also came up with a clutch block on De'Aaron Fox in the final 15 seconds, finished with a playoff career-high 33 points on 10 of 15 from the field. 

The Spurs set a Finals record with 14 3s in the first half and scored 76 points on 28 of 47 (59.6%) shooting. In the second half, they managed just 30 points on 8 of 39 (20.5%) from the field.  

Knicks 107, Spurs 106

WOW! Jalen Brunson missed a 3, but OG Anunoby came flying in for a tip in to give the Knicks the lead with 1.2 seconds left. Spurs call timeout to advance. They'll have one more chance for the win

Spurs 106, Knicks 105

The Spurs just had a runout after Brunson missed a runner and De'Aaron Fox tried to go to the rim but got blocked by OG Anunoby and the Knicks have the ball now with 5.7 seconds remaining. Why didn't Fox just try to dribble out the clock? 

Spurs 106, Knicks 105

Stephon Castle crashed the glass for a key offensive rebound and drew a foul. He made the first to tie the game, then made the second to give the Spurs the lead back with 30.3 seconds remaining.

Knicks 105, Spurs 104

Unbelievable. Jalen Brunson just drove inside for a tough floater to put the Knicks in front for the first time all night. They were down by as many as 29. The Spurs are 8 of 37 from the field (21.6%) in the second half

Spurs 104, Knicks 103

Josh Hart just had a breakaway that would have given the Knicks the lead, but he got caught in between two minds on dunking it or laying it up and missed. 

Spurs 99, Knicks 95

OG Anunoby just buried a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to four and it's pandemonium in Madison Square Garden. Somehow there are still four minutes and 32 seconds remaining, and the Knicks have all the momentum. 

The Spurs are 6 of 34 (17.6%) from the field in the second half. 

Spurs 97, Knicks 88

Karl-Anthony Towns just drove baseline for a super tough finish over Victor Wembanyama to cut the deficit down to nine points with 6:24 remaining. They've shaved 20 points off this lead and still have time to keep this run going. 

As a reminder, the biggest comeback in the play-by-play era (since 1997) is 31 points by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. The Knicks trailed by as many as 29 tonight

Spurs 95, Knicks 80

The Spurs pushed their lead back up to 20 early in the fourth, but the Knicks immediately responded with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit back down to 15 -- where it was to start the fourth. The Knicks are not going to give up, but with only 8:43 remaining, they're starting to run out of time. Let's see if they can get this to single digits in the next few minutes. If they can, the Spurs will really start to feel the pressure.

The Spurs superstar is now one flagrant point away from an automatic suspension after his third-quarter foul on Karl-Anthony Towns.

Why Victor Wembanyama's Game 4 flagrant foul could have huge ramifications

Sam Quinn

The Knicks dominated the third quarter to cut the deficit -- once 29 -- down to 15 entering the fourth and have a glimmer of hope. They still have a lot of work to do, but 15 points feels much more manageable than even 18 or 19. At the very least, the Spurs are going to have to work to close out this game. 

The concerns for the Knicks in terms of completing the comeback are:

1. They've already put so much effort into just getting it to 15, and somehow have to sustain that for another 12 minutes. 
2. Their own offense has still been a challenge. They made that comeback because they held the Spurs to 14 points on 4 of 20 shooting in the third quarter. Is San Antonio going to shoot that poorly again in the fourth? If not, the Knicks might have to score 35-40 points in the fourth to win this game.

Spurs 87, Knicks 70

The Spurs' lead, once 29, has been cut to 17 late in the third quarter. That's still a comfortable advantage, but it doesn't feel insurmountable, and both the Knicks and the Madison Square Garden crowd have been energized. 

The Knicks still aren't scoring very easily, but their defense has turned up a few notches. They've held the Spurs to just 11 points on 3 of 14 shooting in the frame. After making 14 3s in the first half, the Spurs have just one in the third. 

Spurs 81, Knicks 59

After another review early in the third quarter, Victor Wembanyama has been called for a flagrant foul, penalty one after he caught Karl-Anthony Towns with an inadvertent elbow to the chin. 

Notably, Wembanyama is now at three flagrant foul points in the postseason. If he gets to four, that's an automatic one-game suspension. And many thought his push on Jalen Brunson's head in Game 3 should have been retroactively upgraded to a flagrant. The NBA declined to do so. If they had, Wembanyama would now be at four flagrant points and this call would have meant he was suspended for Game 5. 

Instead, Wembanyama will remain eligible -- at least for now. The concern for him and the Spurs is that, as this play shows, a foul doesn't have to be intentional for it to be upgraded to a flagrant. If he makes inadvertent contact to someone's head or makes a reckless closeout at any point in the next few games, he could end up with another flagrant and a suspension

The Spurs have not let up all night. They led by as many as 29 in the second quarter and enter the break with 27-point lead -- the largest by a road team in Finals history. The Knicks and Madison Square Garden are stunned and the Spurs are well on their way to evening up the series at 2-2. 

Victor Wembanyama has 16 points and six rebounds to lead the Spurs, who have four double-digit scorers and are shooting 59.6% from the field. They've gotten whatever they've wanted on offense, including an array of wide-open 3s, which they've knocked down at an elite clip: 14 of 26 (53.8%). Their 14 3s are the most in any half in the NBA Finals in the play-by-play era (since 1997). 

The Knicks' biggest playoff comeback -- since 1970 -- came in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals when they were down by 22 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The largest playoff comeback by any team in the play-by-play era is 31 points by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. The Knicks would nearly have to match that.

Spurs 62, Knicks 38

Devin Vassell just buried a 3 from the corner and is still perfect for the night. He's 5 of 5 overall, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range. As a team, the Spurs are an incredible 12 of 20 (60%). The Spurs' high for 3s in a game this postseason is 18 in Game 6 against the Timberwolves. They're well on their way to setting a new mark tonight.

Spurs 48, Knicks 25

Another strange moment involving Victor Wembanyama just now. Jose Alvarado was battling with Wembanyama under the basket, and after De'Aaron Fox drained another 3 for the Spurs, Alvarado for some reason grabbed Wembanyama's leg, picked it up and tossed him to the ground. 

The officials went to the monitor again, but ruled it just a common foul. 

The Spurs led by as many as 21 -- the largest lead either team has had this series -- and are up 19 after a completely dominant first quarter. San Antonio is the first team in the last 30 postseasons with a double-digit first-quarter lead in each of the first four games of the Finals. On top of that, the Spurs' 19-point lead is the largest first-quarter lead by a road team in NBA Finals history.

Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two fouls in the first 90 seconds, and everything went downhill from there for the Knicks, who have once again felt aggrieved by the officials -- though they've actually more than doubled the Spurs up at the free throw line with 12 attempts to five. And that's despite two flagrant free throws for Victor Wembanyama after he was elbowed in the throat by Mitchell Robinson. 

Wembanyama has 13 points to lead the way for the Spurs, while Devin Vassell has added 12. As a team, the Spurs are shooting 65.2% from the field and are 6 of 10 from 3-point range

Spurs 37, Knicks 20

Victor Wembanyama has been involved in a number of controversial moments in the playoffs, including one in Game 3 when he pushed Jalen Brunson down by his head. Now, Wembanyama was on the receiving end of a hard shot. 

After scoring on Mitchell Robinson, Wembanyama ran down the floor pointing at his head and Robinson responded by elbowing him in the chin and knocking him down. The officials immediately went to the monitor to review the situation and upgraded it to a flagrant foul, penalty one, which means Robinson is not ejected. 

Spurs 35, Knicks 20

The Spurs have built a 15-point first-quarter lead, which is the largest advantage either team has had in this series. They're shooting 66.7% from the field overall, and are 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Devin Vassell is 3 of 3 and four different Spurs have made a shot from behind the arc.

Once again, the Spurs have jumped out to an early lead, and Madison Square Garden has been stunned into silence. Devin Vassell has knocked down two 3-pointers, the Spurs are 4 of 6 from the field and the Knicks have as many turnovers as points (two). There's plenty of time, but the Knicks will have to dig themselves out of a hole again. 

The Spurs just won a huge challenge that flipped a defensive foul on Victor Wembanyama to an offensive foul on Karl-Anthony Towns. Now, Towns has to head to the bench 90 seconds into the game with two fouls and will likely have to sit for a significant stretch. Plus, Wembanyama remains at zero fouls as San Antonio has built an early 12-2 lead.

It's not the most complex strategy. Getting the ball to the guy who's 7-foot-4 closer to the rim usually ends with good results. The Spurs were able to do that much more in Game 3. What does that mean for Game 4?

Victor Wembanyama is starting to win the paint battle, and that's bad news for the Knicks

Brad Botkin

Remember that Wemby-Brunson play from Game 3? The one where Victor Wembanyama shoved Jalen Brunson while the two were tussling for position? It wasn't called on the floor but didn't look great on replay. 

The NBA looked into the play afterward. The league determined Wemby should've been called for a foul on the play, but they did not retroactively issue a flagrant to Wembanyama. 

Why is that important? Well, Wembanyama already has two flagrant foul points in the playoffs for elbowing Naz Reid of the Timberwolves in the second round. If a player gets four flagrant fouls, he is suspended for a game. So if Wemby was assessed a Flagrant 1 for the Brunson shove, he'd be just one flagrant away from suspension. As it stands, he can still get a Flagrant 1 without being suspended.

NBA admits Victor Wembanyama fouled Jalen Brunson with Game 3 shove, but play won't be upgraded to flagrant

Sam Quinn

The Knicks are two wins from a title and just won 13 postseason games in a row. They've been a mostly dominant team in the playoffs. They're not thinking about a blockbuster trade... right? Probably not, but as the Giannis trade sweepstakes heat up, the Bucks are reportedly keeping the door open on a potential Knicks move. New York would have to blow its 2-0 Finals lead, however.

Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors: 'Increasing belief' Bucks waiting to see if Knicks blow 2-0 Finals lead

Sam Quinn

The Knicks lost on Monday night for the first time in 46 days. Their 13-game winning streak is over, and now it's all about winning two out of the next four games. What adjustments can the Knicks make? Quicker decisions would help.

"There were a lot of times where the decisions weren't made quick [Monday] night," New York coach Mike Brown said. "One guy caught, held, held, held, held, held. Now the defense settles in. Now you're in trouble."

After first loss in 46 days, Knicks know what adjustments they must make to respond vs. Spurs

James Herbert

Yes, three games is a small sample size, but there have been some unusual aspects of these Finals. Like Karl-Anthony Towns not scoring any fourth-quarter points so far. John Gonzalez dissects that and more:

NBA Finals oddities: Stunning Karl-Anthony Towns stat, Victor Wembanyama's heel turn and more

John Gonzalez