The San Antonio Spurs came into Game 3 of the NBA Finals in desperate need of a win as the New York Knicks held a 2-0 lead after winning both games on the road. In what would have been a major blow, the Spurs caught a break as Stephon Castle was not assessed a flagrant foul after getting tangled up with Jalen Brunson during the second quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The play occurred with Jalen Brunson guarding Stephon Castle, and Castle attempting to come across the court, knocking down Brunson in the process. The Spurs’ guard was called for an offensive foul, but the officials opted to review the play for a potential upgrade. Upon review, the call stood as a common foul.
It did not appear as if Castle committed a flagrant, but it was without a doubt an offensive foul.
At the half, the Knicks had battled back from a double-digit deficit to take the lead. But Castle was doing his best to try and get the Spurs a win. In the first half, he had 18 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes.
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The former lottery pick was shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 1-of-3 from the 3-point line and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
During the Spurs’ playoff thus far, Castle had been averaging 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 47.2 percent shooting from the field, 36 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 81 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The Spurs are trying to become only the sixth team in NBA history to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs came into Game 3 of the NBA Finals in desperate need of a win as the New York Knicks held a 2-0 lead after winning both games on the road. In what would have been a major blow, the Spurs caught a break as Stephon Castle was not assessed a flagrant foul after getting tangled up with Jalen Brunson during the second quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.