June 11 (UPI) — The New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby flew over the paint and snared the basketball using his fingertips for a put-back score with 1.2 seconds remaining, completing the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history and stunning the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
The Knicks trailed by 29 points in the third quarter and didn’t hold a lead until the 82 seconds remaining, leading to a 107-106 Game 4 victory at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“We are resilient,” Anunoby, who scored 19 of his 33 points in the second half, said on the ABC broadcast of the instant classic. “We never give up. It’s a game of runs. They went on one early. We knew we were going to go on our own run.”
The Spurs made 59.6% of their shots over the first two quarters. They also set an NBA Finals record for the most 3-pointers in a half of an NBA Finals with 14.
But they went ice cold down the stretch, making just 8 of 39 (20.5%) shots in the second half. The Knicks hit 51.2% of their second-half shots, including 12 of 20 (60%) in the fourth quarter.
“To put as much good work into that first half as we did and get the lead that we had and not finish the job is disappointing, to say the least,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters.
With the victory, the Knicks took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series and moved to within one win of their first title since 1973. Game 5 will be Saturday in San Antonio.
“I think it’s going to go one of two ways,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said. “The bad one and a good one. I know the bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. This is what we are going to do.”
Spurs shooters torched the nylon and extinguished the celebrity-flooded crowd in a demolition of the Knicks early on. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two fouls in the first 62 seconds of the game, leading to a benching to preserve him for later minutes.
The Spurs took advantage of the void, outscoring the Knicks 41-22 over the first 12 minutes. Wembanyama totaled 13 of his 24 points in the first quarter. Forward Devin Vassell chipped in a dozen in the frame.
The Spurs, who made 65.2% of their first-quarter shots, outscored the Knicks 35-27 in the second and carried a 76-49 edge into the break. Rookie guard Dylan Harper scored 15 points in the second quarter to keep the Spurs comfortable.
The Spurs pushed their hefty advantage to 81-52 just 2:20 into the second half, but then went frigid, missing 14 of their final 16 shots of the quarter. The Knicks made 8 of 18 shots during that stretch and cut the deficit to 15 to start the fourth quarter.
Wembanyama and the Spurs scored the first five points of the final frame, but then allowed a 20-4 run. The Knicks, who cut the deficit to 99-95 during that surge, later used an 8-0 run and took their first lead on a Jalen Brunson floater with 1:22 remaining.
The Spurs got the lead back on two Stephon Castle free throws with 30 seconds remaining, but allowed two more Knicks possessions.
Brunson caught his final pass of the night near half court with about five seconds remaining. He launched a 3-pointer, which bounced off the front of the rim.
But Anunoby flew through traffic and tipped in the final points of the night, capping off the classic. Castle failed to convert on the game’s final possession, losing control of the ball as time expired.
“Our thing is crashing the glass and second-chance opportunities and I just tried to make a play,” Anunoby said.
Brunson scored nine of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter. Towns totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. The Knicks outshot the Spurs 46.2% to 41.9%, including 46.9% to 39.5% from 3-point range. They also held a 53-50 edge in rebounding and 34-28 advantage in points in the paint.
“We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half,” said Wembanyama, who totaled 24 points and 13 rebounds.
The Spurs will host Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. EDT Saturday in San Antonio. Game 6, if necessary, will be Tuesday in New York. Game 7, if necessary, will be June 19 in San Antonio.
