New York Completes Largest Comeback in NBA Finals History

The New York Knicks were buried, then they built a moment that may live forever at Madison Square Garden.

Down by as much as 29 points and staring at the possibility of a tied NBA Finals, New York authored the largest comeback in Finals history, stunning the San Antonio Spurs, 107-106, in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. What began as a Spurs avalanche became a Knicks survival story, one shaped by belief, shot-making, defensive urgency, and a closing push that flipped the entire tone of the series.

San Antonio looked ready to take control early, exploding for 41 points in the first quarter and carrying a 76-49 lead into halftime behind a balanced attack. Victor Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 44 minutes, while Dylan Harper gave the Spurs a major lift off the bench with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. De’Aaron Fox added 18 points and 7 assists, Devin Vassell scored 18 on an efficient 6-of-9 from the field, and Stephon Castle chipped in 13, but the Spurs’ offense faded badly when the game tightened. After scoring 76 in the first half, San Antonio managed only 30 points across the final two quarters.

That opened the door for New York’s stars to drag the Knicks back. Jalen Brunson led the charge with 36 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, while OG Anunoby delivered one of the biggest performances of his career with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three. Karl-Anthony Towns added a steady 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Hart’s 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and defensive activity helped fuel a comeback built on stops as much as shots. The Knicks shot 47% from three compared to San Antonio’s 40%, but the real difference was the second half: New York outscored the Spurs 58-30 after halftime, turning a game that looked lost into a one-point win that pushed them within one victory of a championship.

Crunch Time

The final four minutes felt less like basketball and more like a tug-of-war between inevitability and belief.

Every time the Knicks appeared ready to seize momentum, San Antonio found an answer. After New York clawed back within four at 99-95, De’Aaron Fox buried a massive three-pointer to momentarily quiet Madison Square Garden. Then it was Jose Alvarado’s turn, the veteran guard delivering two enormous baskets that pushed the Spurs ahead 104-100 with just over three minutes remaining.

But the Knicks never blinked. Jalen Brunson responded with perhaps the biggest shot of the night, drilling a three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Victor Wembanyama to cut the deficit to one. Moments later, Josh Hart had a chance to give New York the lead, only to miss a wide-open layup that left the Garden groaning. It felt like the kind of miss that championship hopefuls remember for all the wrong reasons—until Wembanyama missed two critical free throws on the other end, opening the door for Brunson to float in a runner and give New York its first lead of the closing stretch, 105-104.

The chaos only intensified from there. Stephon Castle stepped out of bounds with 1:02 remaining, but the rookie redeemed himself seconds later. After Fox missed a pull-up jumper from the elbow, Castle crashed in from the weak side, drew a foul on Hart, and calmly sank both free throws to put San Antonio back on top, 106-105, with 30 seconds left.

Brunson then got a look he has made countless times throughout his career—a leaning bank-shot floater in the lane—but Wembanyama’s length disrupted it just enough. The Spurs recovered the loose ball and appeared to have a path to victory until OG Anunoby delivered another defining play, racing back to erase Fox at the rim in transition. After Fox’s foul stopped play with 5.7 seconds remaining, the Knicks had one last chance. Brunson’s desperate three-pointer missed badly, but as the ball ricocheted off the rim, Anunoby appeared from nowhere. Rising above the crowd, he tipped the ball back in with 1.2 seconds left, completing one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA Finals history and sending Madison Square Garden into absolute bedlam.