Brown on FT gap: 'Never thought I'd see' in Finals...
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- Spurs won Game 3 at MSG 115-111, cutting the Knicks' Finals lead to 2-1 as Victor Wembanyama posted a game-high 32 points — 10 in the fourth quarter — along with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 38 minutes.
- Mike Brown blasted the free throw gap after the loss, noting the Spurs took 24 free throws to the Knicks' 8 in the second half, with New York in the penalty for the final 9:18 of the fourth quarter and San Antonio going 14-3 from the line in the third.
- Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson refused to blame officiating, pointing instead to turnovers and stagnant execution — Brunson had 32 points on 11-of-25 shooting and the Knicks went a brutal 7-for-27 in the fourth quarter.
- Stephon Castle dropped 18 in the first half and the Spurs' young guards — Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox — repeatedly attacked the paint, exposing the Knicks' primary defensive point of emphasis.
- The defeat snapped the Knicks' 13-game playoff winning streak, their first loss in nearly two months, and marked the first time since the 1993 Finals that the road team won the first three games of the series.
- OG Anunoby scored 28 points on only 13 shots, while Towns — the linchpin of New York's postseason offense — got the ball rarely in the second half despite the Knicks scoring 23 points on zero turnovers on plays he touched in the first half.
Why it matters: The Knicks still lead the series 2-1, but they just lost at home to a Spurs team that had been on the ropes and now face a Game 4 they must win to avoid a tied series. Beyond the officiating debate, the Knicks' fourth-quarter offense went 7-for-27 and their defense got shredded by San Antonio's young guards — the two things Brown must actually fix.
