NEW YORK — The New York Knicks will look to move closer to their first NBA championship since 1973 when they host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
The Knicks hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after a 105-104 victory in Game 2. San Antonio erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, but Victor Wembanyama missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.
New York has now won 13 consecutive playoff games. Head coach Mike Brown praised his team’s resilience, noting their ability to keep fighting regardless of the score or circumstances.
Game 3 will mark the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since June 1999, when San Antonio clinched the championship against New York.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said the team wants to give fans a memorable Finals experience after such a long wait.
For the Spurs, the challenge is significant. No team has ever recovered from losing the first two NBA Finals games at home to win the championship. The only previous teams to face that situation—the 1993 Phoenix Suns and the 1995 Orlando Magic—both lost the series.
Wembanyama is averaging 27.5 points through the first two games but is shooting just 40.5% from the field. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the team must do a better job of getting the ball to its star player, especially after Wembanyama attempted only four shots in the first half of Game 2.
San Antonio will try to avoid falling into a 3-0 series deficit, while New York seeks to continue its winning streak and move within one victory of an NBA title.