The New York Knicks did not just survive Game 4 of the NBA Finals. They ripped one of the most unlikely wins in league history away from the San Antonio Spurs and turned Madison Square Garden into one of the loudest basketball buildings America has seen in years.
New York defeated San Antonio 107-106 on Wednesday night in Game 4, taking a 3-1 series lead after trailing by 29 points. The Spurs looked like they were about to even the series and completely shift the pressure back onto the Knicks. Instead, San Antonio collapsed, New York kept fighting, and OG Anunoby delivered the final blow with a tip-in in the closing seconds.
This was not a normal comeback. This was the kind of game that changes how a series is remembered forever. San Antonio controlled the first half, Victor Wembanyama looked ready to own the night, and the Spurs built a 76-49 halftime lead. Then the Knicks dragged the game into the mud, found their defense, trusted Jalen Brunson, and watched Anunoby author the biggest moment of his career.
Spurs Dominate The First Half Before Everything Falls Apart
San Antonio came out with the exact response it needed after entering Game 4 down 2-1 in the series. The Spurs played with pace, spacing, and confidence, torching the Knicks for 41 points in the first quarter. Wembanyama was active early as both a scorer and defensive presence, while De’Aaron Fox helped organize the offense and keep New York rotating.
The Knicks looked overwhelmed in the opening quarter. Their defense was late, their closeouts were poor, and the Spurs repeatedly found quality looks from deep. San Antonio knocked down shots, controlled the rhythm, and forced New York into the kind of rushed offensive possessions that usually happen when a team starts pressing in front of its home crowd.
By the end of the first quarter, the Spurs led 41-22. That was not just a strong start. That was a statement. San Antonio had taken the Garden crowd out of the game and put New York in immediate survival mode.
The second quarter was not much better for the Knicks. San Antonio added another 35 points in the period and entered halftime up 76-49. For a road team in the NBA Finals, that kind of halftime advantage should have been enough. The Spurs had balance, confidence, and the kind of scoreboard control that usually allows a young team to breathe.
But the problem for San Antonio was that the game was not over. The Knicks had already shown throughout this playoff run that they could win ugly, survive cold stretches, and turn defense into momentum. Game 4 became the ultimate test of that identity.
New York Finds Its Defense And Turns The Game Into A Fight
The third quarter changed everything. New York stopped playing like a team waiting for the Spurs to cool off and started forcing San Antonio into tougher possessions. The Knicks picked up their physicality, tightened the floor, and made the Spurs feel every catch, every drive, and every late-clock decision.
San Antonio scored only 14 points in the third quarter. That number tells the story. The Spurs went from looking free and comfortable to looking unsure. Their ball movement slowed down, the Knicks started winning individual defensive battles, and Madison Square Garden slowly came back to life.
Jalen Brunson, who finished with 36 points and seven assists, gave New York the steady offensive presence it desperately needed. He did not have to force the entire comeback at once. He chipped away, possession by possession, keeping defenders on his hip and creating just enough pressure to open up the floor.
OG Anunoby was the other major piece. His 33-point night was massive, especially because of how efficiently he shot the ball from three. Anunoby hit seven of his nine attempts from beyond the arc, giving the Knicks the spacing and shot-making they needed to make a comeback from 29 points even possible.
Karl-Anthony Towns also mattered, even if this game will be remembered mostly for Brunson and Anunoby. Towns grabbed 10 rebounds and helped New York fight back into the possession battle. In a game decided by one point, every defensive board, screen, and second-effort play carried weight.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the Knicks were no longer chasing a miracle. They were hunting down a shaken Spurs team.
Brunson And Anunoby Deliver The Closing Punch
The fourth quarter became one long pressure test for San Antonio. The Spurs had spent the first half building a lead and the second half trying not to lose it. That is a dangerous place to be against a veteran guard like Brunson and a Knicks team that had already made the building believe again.
New York outscored San Antonio 32-16 in the fourth quarter. That was not a hot streak. That was a complete reversal of control. The Knicks forced the Spurs into uncomfortable shots, attacked mismatches, and kept finding Anunoby in rhythm.
The most important stretch came late, when New York used a 28-9 run to erase what was left of San Antonio’s lead and take control for the first time. The Spurs briefly steadied themselves, but they never fully recovered their poise. Every possession felt heavier. Every missed shot felt louder.
Then came the final sequence. Brunson missed a three-pointer, but Anunoby stayed active and got himself into position for the tip-in with 1.2 seconds left. That play summed up the whole game. The Knicks did not win because everything was clean. They won because they kept attacking the glass, kept applying pressure, and kept believing that the next possession could flip the night.
San Antonio still had one last chance, but the Spurs could not turn it into a clean answer. The Knicks escaped with a 107-106 win and moved one victory away from their first championship since 1973.
Betting Angle: Knicks Cover, Spurs Collapse, Under Cashes
New York entered Game 4 as a slight home favorite. Most major sportsbooks closed with the Knicks between -1.5 and -2.5, while the total settled around 216.5 points. DraftKings listed New York at -2.5 with a -130 moneyline, while FanDuel closed closer to Knicks -1.5 in several markets.
Bettors who backed San Antonio against the spread technically cashed despite the loss, as the Spurs lost by just one point. Moneyline bettors who took New York were rewarded after one of the most dramatic comebacks in NBA Finals history. The game also stayed under the consensus total of 216.5 points, finishing with a combined 213 points.
What Game 4 Means For The Series
Game 4 may end up being remembered as the moment the Finals slipped away from San Antonio. The Spurs were not outplayed for 48 minutes. They were dominant for long stretches. They had Wembanyama producing, they had control of the scoreboard, and they had a chance to send the series back to San Antonio tied 2-2.
Instead, they left New York down 3-1 and emotionally damaged.
For the Knicks, this was the kind of win that makes a championship feel inevitable. They did not play their best game. They were embarrassed early. They trailed by 29. Yet they still found a way to win behind Brunson’s control, Anunoby’s shot-making, and a defensive second half that completely changed the game.
New York still had to close the series, and doing that on the road in San Antonio was never going to be easy. But after Game 4, the Knicks had the one thing every championship team needs at some point in June: proof that they can win a game they had no business winning.
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