Wembanyama powers Spurs past Knicks, cuts NBA Finals to 2-1

Victor Wembanyama did more than win a game for San Antonio. He controlled the night at Madison Square Garden, posting 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the Spurs’ 115-111 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3, a performance that cut New York’s NBA Finals lead to 2-1 and put the series back in doubt.

The Spurs needed every bit of Wembanyama’s force. He shot 11-of-18, finished with three blocks and two steals, and delivered his first NBA Finals win while carrying San Antonio through a seven-point halftime deficit. The Spurs outscored the Knicks after the break and erased the edge New York had built before halftime, turning Game 3 into a reversal of momentum as much as a single victory.

For New York, the loss ended a 13-game postseason winning streak that had been the second-longest in NBA history. It also prevented the Knicks from taking a 3-0 series lead and all but sealing the championship round. Instead, the margin tightened, the home-court advantage remained, and the pressure shifted sharply toward Game 4 on Friday, again at Madison Square Garden.

The second half brought another layer of controversy. Knicks coach Mike Brown criticized the officiating after San Antonio shot 24 free throws in the second half to New York’s eight, a disparity that became part of the postgame conversation as the Knicks struggled to generate the same offensive rhythm they had earlier in the series.

The game also drew unusual attention away from the floor. President Donald Trump attended Game 3 and was booed loudly when he appeared on the video screens during the national anthem, becoming the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. His presence added a rare political note to a night already defined by high stakes and a rising star asserting himself on the league’s biggest stage.

The series still belongs to New York for now, but Game 3 changed its tone. Wembanyama did not merely help the Spurs survive. He made the strongest case yet that this Finals could be remembered as the moment the league’s next defining superstar took control.