Spurs win Game 3 at MSG, ‘over’ hits

Spurs win Game 3 at MSG, ‘over’ hits

We’ve got a series now.

Trailing 2-0 in the NBA Finals after back-to-back home losses, the San Antonio Spurs (75-29 straight up, 58-44-2 against the spread) went to Madison Square Garden for Monday’s Game 3 and captured a 115-111 win as 1.5-point road underdogs. The 226 combined points soared ‘over’ the 216-point total, while San Antonio cashed +108 money-line tickets.

Victor Wembanyama was the catalyst, producing 32 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and six assists compared to only one turnover. He made 11-of-18 field-goal attempts, 2-of-4 launches from 3-point range and 8-of-9 free throws.

“At home, it really feels like playing six against five. Here, it feels like five against six,” Wembanyama said. “It really shows what teams are made of.”

Six Spurs were in double figures. Stephon Castle had 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one blocked shot, hitting 8-of-14 FGAs. In 32 minutes off the bench, rookie Dylan Harper had 13 points, nine boards and four assists without a turnover.

De’Aaron Fox scored 12 points and dished out eight assists compared to just a pair of turnovers. Julian Champagnie drained 3-of-7 attempts from downtown in a 12-point effort, and Devin Vassell had 11 points.

San Antonio raced out to a 16-6 lead in the first quarter thanks to seven quick points from Castle and six from Wembanyama. The Spurs cashed tickets for their first-quarter backers and led 33-22 going into the second stanza.

However, an 8-0 run by New York cut the deficit to 40-38 thanks to treys from Jordan Clarkson and OG Anunoby. After the Spurs extended their lead to five points on three separate occasions, the Knicks exploded for a 20-8 run in the last 4:46 of the first half to take a 64-57 advantage into halftime.

The crowd at MSG was electric. For the Knicks’ first NBA Finals home game since 1999, President Donald Trump, Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Spike Lee, Larry David, Patrick Ewing and Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier were among the many celebrities in attendance.

But San Antonio didn’t get the memo about Monday being one of the best MSG parties in decades. The Spurs took the lead back with 7:26 left in the third quarter on Devin Vassell’s 3-pointer.

New York countered with consecutive buckets from Anunoby and Josh Hart to go back ahead 76-72, but San Antonio responded with a 7-0 surge thanks to Wembanyama’s tip-in and his 30-footer from downtown.

After Luke Kornet buried a pair of free throws to give the Spurs an 86-81 lead with 2:33 remaining in the third, neither team missed the rest of the quarter. Clarkson pulled the Knicks even at 89-89 with a triple, only for Harper to answer with a 3-ball of his own. Mikal Bridges countered with a mid-range jumper to cut San Antonio’s lead to 92-91 going into the fourth.

Wembanyama scored four points in a 6-0 run by the Spurs to start the frame. They extended the lead to 108-100 with 4:50 remaining on a pair of free throws from Wemby. Jalen Brunson buried a 3-ball with 33.7 ticks left to cut San Antonio’s lead to 111-108.

Mike Brown’s team chose not to foul and Fox, who had been struggling mightily throughout the series, made the Knicks pay when he knocked home a stepback jumper off the dribble for a 113-108 advantage with 12.2 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, New York got exactly what it needed, as Anunoby drained a corner trey with 9.4 ticks left. However, Castle hit two clutch free throws to seal the deal with 6.8 seconds remaining.

Brunson produced 32 points, five rebounds and five assists in the losing effort, while Anunoby had 28 points, five boards and a pair of blocked shots. Hart hit 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots, and Clarkson was also in double figures with 10 points in just 13 minutes of action.

“I’m sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I don’t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance.”

New York (68-32 SU, 56-43-1 ATS) tasted defeat for the first time in 46 days, as its 13-game winning streak was snapped. The Knicks hadn’t lost since dropping a 109-108 decision at Atlanta in Game 3 of their first-round series.

“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Brown said. “They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It’s not going to be easy.”

As of Tuesday morning, most books had the Knicks listed as two-point home favorites for Wednesday’s Game 4. The total was 216.5 points, while the Spurs were +110 on the money line.

FanDuel’s updated series price has the Knicks as -184 ‘chalk,’ leaving the Spurs as +154 underdogs. The book has Brunson as the +105 favorite to win NBA Finals MVP honors, while Wemby (+165) and Towns (+500) have the next-shortest odds.