The Knicks were in position to take a commanding 3-0 NBA Finals series lead over the San Antonio Spurs with stellar play of OG Anunoby and the rest of New York’s supporting cast.
Anunoby was the star of the night, and the Knicks’ consistent contributor on a night Jalen Brunson once again started slow out the gate (2-of-7 in the first period).
The forward finished with 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field.
He even tried to play The Captain’s role of hero by draining a three-pointer with 9.4 seconds remaining to shorten the Knicks’ deficit to three.
But his team didn’t get any closer than that, eventually dropping Game 3.
The rest of the starting lineup — Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart — shot 11-of-25 throughout the night as Brunson went 11-of-25 from the field in the 115-111 Game 3 loss.
The tandem of Towns, Bridges and Hart started the matchup with much better percentages before the offense sputtered down the stretch of Game 3.
The ball stopped moving and less motion off the ball eventually plagued the Knicks.
Making matters worse were constant dead balls after fouls and Knicks turnovers, preventing the team from finding any rhythm.
“Yeah, the stops and go, and all the fouls, that’s just how the game went today,” Anunoby said. “I guess so. I guess it affects the rhythm, but we just have to deal with it. Every game is different. Some games there’s no stoppages and some games there’s a bunch. So we just have to respond and be professional and be ready to go.”
Another big reason for the loss? Brunson’s ineffectiveness throughout the night.
It’s the second consecutive night Captain Clutch couldn’t put together a performance the Madison Square Garden crowd had been used to for most of the 2025-26 season.
In Game 2, Brunson scored 20 points on 25 attempts.
On Wednesday, His 25 shots garnered 32 points. Brunson also logged five rebounds and five assists. Towns, Bridges and Hart combined for 30 points, 22 rebounds and eight assists.
At first, it looked like Anunoby would will his team to victory.
og you SO tough bro 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hiwMQ9tAzu
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 9, 2026
Each basket drew a huge applause from the championship-hungry Garden crowd, including his slam in the final minutes of the first half after blowing by unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victory Wembanyama.
And the defense was worthy of a player that won First Team All-Defense. Anunoby, of course, was named to the second team last month.
Hart stayed out of foul trouble for the first time in this finals series, totaling just two. And Hart made the Spurs pay for leaving too much room on him from beyond the arc — a common theme this season. He made four three-pointers on seven attempts, and converted on a couple more contested drives.
Towns again didn’t look small dealing with Victor Wembanyama. He did, though, get outmatched in the duel with the Spurs megastar logging 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Bridges had the least appealing night of the bunch: two points and five rebounds but was plus-11 in 29 minutes of action.
None of those players managed to generate a spark in hopes of yet another comeback victory.
“There’s a couple shots that didn’t fall that we had good looks on,” Hart said. “I feel like we didn’t get enough stops during the game. We get stops, we play our brand of basketball, and you’re not worried about makes and misses.
“Like I said, we’ve got to learn from it, watch it tomorrow. At the end of the day, whether we won or lost, we’re going to do the same thing. Watch tomorrow, get better and prepare for the game on [Wednesday]. Same mentality.”
The loss ended New York’s postseason win streak at 13.
The supporting cast that charged a sell-out Madison Square Garden crowd went out quietly as time dwindled in regulation.
There was no Brunson Burner. No Anunoby fourth-quarter spurt. And no Hart transition hustle play to cap a run.
Brunson, Anunoby and co. will look to defend homecourt in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
