The San Antonio Spurs suffered one of the most painful defeats in NBA Finals history after blowing a 29-point lead in a 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, June 11.
Holding a commanding advantage for much of the contest, the Spurs appeared set to level the series before a disastrous second-half collapse handed New York a 3-1 lead and placed San Antonio on the brink of elimination.
The defeat marked the largest blown lead in NBA Finals history.
Spurs unable to close it out
San Antonio looked poised to seize control of the evening behind another strong team performance.
Victor Wembanyama recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, while Devin Vassell added 18 points and shot 5-for-8 from three-point range.
Dylan Harper continued his impressive postseason form with 21 points off the bench and De’Aaron Fox contributed 18 points and seven assists.
Yet the Spurs repeatedly failed to execute during crucial moments.
Wembanyama missed key free throws with under two minutes remaining, while Fox elected to attack the basket on a late fastbreak rather than drain valuable seconds from the clock.
The mistakes ultimately proved costly.
READ MORE: NBA Finals news: Karl-Anthony Towns quiet as San Antonio Spurs punish New York Knicks in Game 3
Wembanyama at a loss for words
“I think it began before (the fourth quarter),” Wembanyama said of the collapse.
“I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”
Knicks punish every mistake
New York capitalised on the opening.
Jalen Brunson finished with 36 points and seven assists, while OG Anunoby produced one of the defining performances of his career with 33 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
The forward’s last-second tip-in completed the comeback and sent Madison Square Garden into chaos.
The Knicks also received contributions from Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double despite another relatively quiet offensive outing.
Season hanging by a thread
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson admitted his side lost control as the game slipped away.
“We got on our heels – we missed some shots,” he said.
“It’s disappointing, to say the least.”
San Antonio now trails the series 3-1 heading back to Texas. The Spurs have shown throughout the finals that they can compete with New York.
The problem is that costly mistakes have repeatedly undermined their efforts.
Game 5 at the Frost Bank Center on Sunday now represents a must-win scenario.
Another defeat would end the season.
A victory would keep alive hopes of completing one of the greatest recoveries in NBA Finals history.
READ NEXT: World Cup 2026: Anthony Gordon stakes England claim in 3-0 win over Costa Rica
SportJustSport writers 
Simon Wilkes 
Michael Davey