Victor Wembanyama scored 32 points as the San Antonio Spurs cut the New York Knicks’ lead in the NBA Finals to 2-1 with a 115-111 win at Madison Square Garden.
US President Donald Trump, in the crowd as the iconic venue hosted its first Finals game since 1999, was booed when he was shown on the big screen during the national anthem.
He is the first sitting president to attend the championship series.
Wembanyama, whose errors cost the Spurs in game two, added eight rebounds and six assists. He was supported by 23 points from Stephon Castle and 13 off the bench from Dylan Harper as the Spurs avoided going 3-0 down – a deficit from which no team has recovered in the Finals.
Defeat ended a 13-game winning streak for the Knicks – two short of the Golden State Warriors’ 2017 record – as they chase their first championship since 1973. Only five of the 37 teams who have led 2-0 have failed to win the Finals. “We’ve done what we were supposed to do but the job is absolutely not done,” said Wembanyama.
“We’re not even halfway. The hardest is yet to come.” The Spurs trailed 64-57 at half-time but went ahead with a 35-point third quarter.
A three-pointer from Castle with one minutes 53 seconds left extended their lead to 111-104 and – unlike in game one, when they came unstuck against a late surge from the Knicks – the Spurs held firm. Although OG Anunoby hit a late three-pointer to cut the Spurs’ lead to two points, Castle scored two free throws in the final 10 seconds. Anunoby finished with 28 points and Jalen Brunson 32 for the Knicks. The best-of-seven series continues at the same venue on Wednesday (01:30 BST, Thursday) before the teams return to San Antonio for game five on Saturday (01:30, Sunday).