Sometimes, one good thing can lead to another.
With the Spurs clinging to a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter, guard De’Aaron Fox created enough space to knock down a step-back jumper and prevent the New York Knicks from celebrating their first NBA Finals victory at Madison Square Garden in 27 years.
Monday night’s 115-111 win was the Spurs’ first of the 2026 NBA Finals. They now trail the Knicks 2-1 in this best-of-seven series.
Fox, 28, was careful to not let his big shot carry any more weight beyond Game 3.
“It’s a make or miss league. I mean, we’re in Game 103 or 104-something this year,” Fox said during media availability Tuesday in New York City. “You try not to let that be the reason that, you know, you play defense better or you box out better or you do all these other things that can affect the game. Because there are just days where you’re going to come in and shots just aren’t going to fall. There are going to be games where you can’t miss a shot. You try not to let that be the roller coaster that you ride throughout the course of the year.”
San Antonio, led by forward Victor Wembanyama (nine points in the first quarter), quieted the MSG crowd with a double-digit lead after one quarter. However, a late second-quarter flurry gave the Knicks a seven-point halftime lead and their fans something to cheer about.
“This is why I like lively crowds, you know? It’s always active at home, but both at home and on the road,” Wembanyama said. “Because at home, it’s an extra motivation. You want to give the people who support you a good show. And, on the road, you want to do the opposite.”
Echoing Fox’s quote about the more than 100 games played this season, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said a lot more than belief goes into hanging tough in enemy territory.
“What I’ve seen is we knew that the belief was going to be there. That doesn’t mean you’re going to win a game or lose a game just because you believe or not,” Johnson said. “We’ve just been honest all year. So every time we keep getting asked about, ‘Do we believe? Are we confident? Can we do this?’ We do.”
No Spurs player may hang onto that belief stronger than Wembanyama, who scored 10 of his team-high 32 points in the fourth quarter.
“I’m working for right now,” Wembanyama said. “We have to win Game 4.”
According to Fox, how San Antonio earns a 2-2 split against the Knicks will be the same goals as the first three games of this series.
“Keep them out of transition, don’t turn the ball over and give up offensive rebounds. That’s when they’ve gone on their runs,” Fox said. “I think we’ve been in control of these three games most of the game. Whenever they hit us and they go on those runs, how quickly can we respond? How quickly can we stop the bleeding? That’s pretty much been the series.”
Game 4 between the Spurs and Knicks will air at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday live on KSAT 12. KSAT’s pregame coverage begins with our Race to Seis special at 6:30 p.m. on KSAT 12 and KSAT Plus before shifting over to KSAT Plus exclusively at 7 p.m.
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