(Talk1370.com) -- No matter what, history was going to be made Wednesday night in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals. Unfortunately for the San Antonio Spurs, they ended up on the wrong end of it, as the New York Knicks staged a historic comeback to win, 107-106, and putting them just one more win away from a championship.
Game 4 started just like the first three games, with the Spurs taking an early double-digit lead into the second quarter. With no turnovers in the first frame, solid defense, and 65% shooting, the game seemed entirely in San Antonio’s control from the start, leading 41-22 after the first quarter. They added another 35 points in the second and went into the half with a massive 76-49 edge.
This was a game of two different halves for both teams. The Spurs established that dominant lead powered by an NBA Finals record 14 three-pointers in a single half, including an 11-for-16 start from deep. However, the momentum shifted dramatically after halftime as San Antonio went cold, shooting just 3-for-17 from beyond the arc the rest of the game.
New York capitalized on the slump, limiting the Spurs to a mere 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting during the third quarter. Sparked by a pivotal 13-0 run, the Knicks outscored the Spurs 58-30 across the final two frames, narrowing the deficit to 90-75 entering the fourth quarter.
During the game's final 21 1/2 minutes, the Spurs were limited to just 25 points on 40 possessions (0.63 points per possession) while shooting a meager 17% (6-for-35) and committing eight turnovers. San Antonio's offense evaporated as the once-dominant Spurs went cold exactly as the Knicks found their rhythm, completing a rally that etched New York into the record books - at 29 points, the largest ever comeback by a team in the Finals.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby were the primary architects of the New York comeback. Despite a difficult opening frame where he failed to convert any of his four field goal attempts, Brunson recovered to finish as the game's top scorer, recording 36 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
The Knicks took their first lead of the game with just 1:22 left in the fourth with a Brunson floater that made it 105-104. OG Anunoby blocked a layup attempt by De’Aaron Fox that was ill-advised with 10 seconds left in the game. After a foul by Fox and a timeout, Anunoby tipped in the miss of Jalen Brunson’s long 3-point attempt with 1.2 seconds remaining to complete the rally, giving the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and three chances to win the title.
After the game, Anunoby said, “We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown said “That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.”
The Golden State Warriors still hold the overall playoff record with a 31-point comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. Prior to Game 4, teams were 12-4088 (.003) when trailing by at least 29 points in the 30 years covered by detailed play-by-play data. The Knicks, in these playoffs, now hold a 2-0 record in games where they trailed by 20 or more points. In contrast, the rest of the league has a 1-35 record in similar situations this year. This feat places the Knicks among an elite group; they are only the third team in the last 30 years to record multiple 20-point comeback victories in a single postseason, joining last year's Knicks (3-3) and Pacers (2-5).
“It’s disappointing, to say the least.” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, “If you watch the game in terms of what we did in the first half and why we scored so many points: It was pace, finding the paint, passing the ball to your teammate, taking good shots. The second half was opposite of that.”
“I think it began before [the fourth quarter],” Wembanyama said in his postgame remarks. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. ... We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”
Despite the second half collapse, good numbers were put up by Wembanyama who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds but was 9-of-25 shooting. Dylan Harper added 21 points, while De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell contributed 18 each. Trailing 3-1 in the series, San Antonio now faces the daunting task of forcing a Game 6 in New York next Tuesday; historically, only the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers have ever overcome such a deficit in the NBA Finals.
Holding a 3-1 series lead, the Knicks are now just one victory away from adding a third title to their 80-year franchise history. After not reaching the NBA Finals since 1999, New York now has three opportunities to clinch the championship, with the first chance arriving Saturday night for Game 5 in San Antonio.
San Antonio will be glad to be back in Texas following the reports of assaults on Spurs fans prior to Game 3 and video showing fans throwing eggs at the Spurs team, with Victor Wembanyama appearing to be a primary target, after the game.
