The New York Knicks could not be in a more advantageous spot heading into Game 3 of their NBA Finals clash against the San Antonio Spurs. They managed to take the first two games of the series on the road, setting themselves up nicely with the series heading to Madison Square Garden.
And for a second there, the Knicks seemed to run back the script of Games 1 and 2. They managed to overturn a double-digit deficit against the Spurs early and took a lead into the halftime interval. Alas, the Knicks could not hold on, with the Spurs playing with the kind of desperation needed down 2-0 in the NBA Finals — holding on for a 115-111 victory.
The Knicks must have known that the Spurs were going to be giving it their all, especially on the defensive end. And it's hard to blame anybody too much for this Game 3 loss, as they were still in a position to potentially win the game in the fourth quarter.
But these Knicks players have to be better if they were to protect homecourt and nip in the bud any Spurs ideas of an NBA Finals comeback.
Mikal Bridges didn't play like he's been here before
Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) and guard Mikal Bridges (25) celebrate
Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
It was telling after the Knicks' Game 2 win that Mikal Bridges wasn't in a state of euphoria whatsoever. In fact, he wasn't even close. While the whole team was celebrating their survival in a back-and-forth Game 2, Bridges was focused on the task at hand, and it's clear as to why he didn't show much emotion.
Bridges knows that being up 2-0 in the NBA Finals is far from a guarantee of winning a championship. He was a member of the Phoenix Suns team that blew a 2-0 lead back in 2021, losing four straight to Giannis Antetokounmpo and company.
With that kind of experience in his bag, Bridges should have been one of the tone setters for the Knicks in Game 3. Instead, Bridges wilted and couldn't come up huge for his team. He was invisible for the entirety of Game 3, scoring just two points on 1-5 shooting in a disappointing follow-up to his huge Game 2 in which he scored 20 points.
Bridges was in foul trouble for most of the night, which, without a doubt, sapped his rhythm. Even then, some of Bridges' fouls were downright silly. Some of them involved him pulling down Spurs players in rebounding battles, and he should do a better job of avoiding silly fouls considering how important of a glue guy he is to this Knicks team.
Karl-Anthony Towns' NBA Finals MVP candidacy takes a huge hit
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots the ball past San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Through the first two games of the 2026 NBA Finals, Karl-Anthony Towns was playing his best basketball on both ends of the floor. In fact, he was playing so well that he was drawing plenty of consideration to be the Finals MVP should the Knicks manage to go all the way.
But in Game 3, Towns' impact was rather muted. The Spurs held him to just 11 points and eight rebounds in a game where the Knicks needed him to assert his dominance and physicality on the offensive end more often.
He did not play a poor game by any means, as his defense was incredible yet again; Wembanyama did have 32 points, but he would have had a lot more had it not been for Towns' ability to contain his dribble drive game.
However, with the Knicks dealing with foul trouble, Towns needed to step in and hold down the fort for New York the way he did in the first half of Game 2.
Landry Shamet struggles in Knicks' Game 3 loss
New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena.
David Richard-Imagn Images
Landry Shamet has proven himself to be quite the huge piece for the Knicks in this year's playoffs. He has earned head coach Mike Brown's trust, and justifiably so. He's hit so many big shots for the team this year, and role players tend to perform better at home.
Shamet, however, did not have a good game whatsoever in Game 3. In fact, Shamet killed plenty of rally opportunities for the Knicks. He missed a few open three-pointers that could have put so much more pressure on the Spurs, and he got himself blocked by Wembanyama on a crucial opportunity in the fourth — daftly challenging him with a soft layup attempt. He ended the night with just three points on 1-8 shooting (1-7 from deep).
Knicks fans will never blame Shamet for this defeat; if anything, they will pin the blame on the referees for officiating in favor of the Spurs (at least from their perspective). But Shamet was borderline unplayable on Monday. While single-game plus/minus is never a good way to assess the impact of a player, it's telling that the Knicks lost by 20 points in his 23 minutes of play — a disaster in a contest they lost by four.
The New York Knicks could not be in a more advantageous spot heading into Game 3 of their NBA Finals clash against the San Antonio Spurs. They managed to take the first two games of the series on the road, setting themselves up nicely with the series heading to Madison Square Garden. And for a second there, the Knicks seemed to run back the script of Games 1 and 2.