NEW YORK — For the first time in 27 years, this building, the mecca of basketball, is hosting the NBA Finals.
The New York Knicks are seeking a commanding 3-0 series lead Monday, June 8 here at Madison Square Garden against the San Antonio Spurs. Not only did the exorbitant ticket prices make this the most expensive NBA Finals game on record, President Donald J. Trump also attended as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan.
On the court, however, the desperate Spurs turn their hopes to star phenom Victor Wembanyama, who struggled in the first half of Game 2. The task facing San Antonio is immense: in NBA postseason history, no team has come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
Here are live takeaways from Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs:
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) in the first quarter during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) in the first quarter during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns runs during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden.
(Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) in the first quarter during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
(Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) vies for the ball against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden.
(Geoff Burke, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) in the first quarter during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
(Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the first quarter during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
(Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
A general view of Madison Square Garden during the first quarter of a game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 08, 2026 in New York City.
(Al Bello, Getty Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
General view as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) is introduced before game three of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
(Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama warms up before game three of the 2026 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado warms up before game three of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns warms up before game three of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
(Geoff Burke, Imagn Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
View of shirts and towels are seen on the backs of the seats prior to Game Three between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026 in New York City.
(Al Bello, Getty Images)
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Knicks and Spurs ignite Madison Square Garden with NBA Finals Game 3
A detailed view of a New York Knicks fan wearing a Pope Leo jersey is seen prior to Game Three between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026 in New York City.
(Dustin Satloff, Getty Images)
The Spurs came out with the desperate energy of a team on the brink. It took a quarter, but New York eventually matched that
Through the first several minutes of the game, it was San Antonio that dictated the pace and flow of the game. The Spurs were playing with more speed and defensive intensity, forcing the Knicks into turnovers in two of their first three possessions.
New York, perhaps playing with some subconscious complacency, started rather sluggishly, missing two of its first six shots.
Yet, the Knicks emerged in the second quarter with some urgency of their own and launched an 11-2 run early in the period. It didn’t end there, either. The Knicks outscored San Antonio by 18 in the quarter and closed the half on a 14-3 run.
For the Knicks, it was defense that sparked the runs. They used their length and athleticism to make drives difficult. And then, once the Spurs crept toward the paint, New York did a better job of collapsing on help defense; the Spurs shot just 9-of-20 (45.0%) from the field in the second quarter, compared to New York’s blistering 14-of-19 (73.7%) period.
Not surprisingly, that defense turned into fast break opportunities, with the Knicks claiming a 9-0 edge in the stat at the half.
After settling for too many jumpers in Games 1 and 2, San Antonio attacked the paint. New York adjusted
The Spurs, very clearly, did not want to leave things to chance. After coach Mitch Johnson had defended his team’s shot selection in the first two games of the series, bemoaning open looks that simply didn’t drop, the Spurs got to work down low Monday night.
And it started with Victor Wembanyama, whose first 4 shot attempts were in the paint, with three of those coming at the rim.
It wasn’t only Wembanyama. The Spurs constantly attacked the paint, asking guards De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harpers to wriggle and slash past New York defenders to finish at the rim.
It paid off. After scoring just 22 points in the paint in the first half of Game 2, the Spurs dropped 28 down low in the first half of Game 3. The problem was that 16 of those came in the first quarter.
For the Spurs to have a chance to steal this game, not only will they need to be intentional about their attacks into the paint, they need to convert them when they got good looks.
For the Spurs, it has been the Wembanyama and Castle show. They need more help
In the first half, Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle combined to score 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting (68.4%). The rest of the Spurs didn’t necessarily shoot poorly as much as they weren’t able to create their own looks as easily.
Put another way: Wembanyama and Castle combined for 57.9% of San Antonio’s first half points, and as defenders started top pressure Wembanyama and Castle more, forcing the ball out of their hands, other Spurs didn’t step up.
The biggest factor here is De’Aaron Fox, who scored just 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting in the half, though he did dish 5 assists.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks, Spurs analysis: New York, San Antonio locked in tight game
