New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) shoots during Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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During the New York Knicks’ shootaround on Wednesday, coach Mike Brown challenged OG Anunoby, telling the forward he needed to be aggressive as an offensive rebounder. Anunoby had no offensive rebounds in the NBA finals’ first three games. But later that night, after Jalen Brunson missed a 3-pointer, Anunoby ran towards the basket and tipped the ball through the hoop with 1.2 seconds remaining for a one-point lead.
When the San Antonio Spurs couldn’t score on the other end, the Knicks had secured a 107-106 victory, overcoming a 29-point deficit, the largest in finals history, to take a three games to one lead and put Anunoby in franchise lore.
“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Brown said.
While longtime Knicks’ fans may debate Brown’s proclamation, they would no doubt place Anunoby’s tip-in as an iconic moment considering the high-pressure situation. For most of the night at Madison Square Garden, it looked like the series would head back to San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 5 tied at two games apiece, with the road team winning each game. Instead, the Knicks are now one victory away from their first title since 1973.
The Spurs were up 76-49 at halftime, the third-largest halftime advantage in finals history, and made a finals record 14 3’s. They led by as many as 29 points early in the third quarter and by 20 with less than 10 minutes remaining. But over the final nine minutes and 16 seconds, the Knicks went on a 32-11 run, making 12 of their final 16 field goals and limiting the Spurs to 2 of 11 shooting during that stretch.
In the first half, the Spurs shot 59.6% from the field, including 53.8% on 3’s, and committed only two turnovers. But in the final two quarters, the Knicks held the Spurs to just 30 points on 8 of 39 shooting (20.5%), including 3 of 17 on 3’s (17.6%), and forced nine turnovers.
“We didn’t change much,” Brown said. “We basically kept the same game plan defensively. We just did it harder for longer stretches, and we were really in tune to what we were supposed to be doing. Our level of physicality increased without sending them to the free throw line, as well, which is huge.”
Anunoby, who had a career playoff-high 33 points, made the game’s most important defensive play, as well. After Brunson missed a shot with about 17 seconds remaining, the Spurs deflected the ball down court to De’Aaron Fox, who picked it up near San Antonio’s basket with the Spurs ahead 106-105 with less than 13 seconds left. Instead of dribbling to force the Knicks to foul him, Fox went up for a layup, which Anunoby blocked. Knicks guard Jose Alvarado recovered the loose ball and dribbled towards halfcourt before the Spurs fouled him. The Spurs had a foul to give, so the Knicks regained possession.
Following a Knicks’ timeout, Anunoby inbounded the ball with 5.7 seconds remaining to Brunson, who was immediately covered by Spurs center Victory Wembanyama and Fox. Brunson caught the ball near midcourt, dribbled with his right hand and then took a shot a few feet beyond 3-point line. Anunoby had been calling for the ball because no one was guarding him. But when Brunson released the shot, Anunoby sprinted towards the basket, jumped between two defenders and made the game-winning play.
“The ball went over my head, so I couldn’t really dunk it,” said Anunoby, an NBA All-Defensive second team selection this season. “So I just tried to tip it in softly and it went in.”
The Spurs got the ball back with 1.2 seconds left, but Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns deflected the inbounds pass from San Antonio rookie guard Dylan Harper. The pass was intended for Stephon Castle, who was open near the rim, but Castle had to instead run back towards Harper. With Knicks guard Josh Hart and center Mitchell Robinson double-teaming him, Castle couldn’t get a shot off as the buzzer sounded and the Knicks and their fans celebrated.
“The emotion kind of spilled out of that moment,” said Towns, who committed two fouls in the game’s first 65 seconds but finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. “It was tears of joy. It just wasn’t boo-booing or anything but just tears of joy. All you could do is ask for a chance. For me personally, I just wanted one break in life. I got one on that last play with OG making the shot and us getting a stop.”
Down the stretch, the Spurs seemed tight, making uncharacteristic mistakes such as Wembanyama missing two free throws with 1:47 remaining and Castle stepping out of bounds on the baseline 45 seconds later. In the second half, Wembanyama made just 3 of 14 field goals and had eight points, while Fox scored five points on 2 of 8 shooting and committed four turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Knicks came through in the clutch, just like they have all postseason, most notably when they erased a 22-point fourth quarter deficit in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime. The Knicks are now 15-3 this postseason, including a 13-game winning streak, the second-longest stretch in postseason history that ended in Monday’s Game 3 loss at MSG.
On Wednesday night, Brunson had a game-high 36 points and scored on a floater with 1:22 left that gave the Knicks their first lead of the game. Jose Alvarado, a reserve guard, had eight points in the fourth quarter comeback, too. And Anunoby had 19 in the second half, making 7 of 9 field goals and all five 3’s. For the game, he made 10 of 15 field goals and 7 of 9 on 3’s.
When Anunoby was a second-year player with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, he missed the playoffs due to an emergency appendectomy. He didn’t play as the Raptors won the title. Seven years later, he is healthy and a major reason why the Knicks are in this position.
In the finals, Anunoby is averaging 23.8 points per game, shooting 58% from the field and guarding multiple Spurs each night. He is playing the best he has since the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors in a December 2023 trade and signed him to a five-year, $212.5 million contract in July 2024. Now, thanks to Anunoby’s tip-in and effort, the Knicks need just one more victory to win their first championship in 53 years.
“Everything that I’ve seen, he’s gotten exponentially better at,” Brunson said. “Regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room. We have a superstar in the locker room.”