San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama made sure that they would not find themselves in a 3-0 hole in the NBA Finals, holding off the New York Knicks with a gutsy victory in Game 3, 115-111, at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
The Spurs ended the Knicks' 13-game winning streak and stayed afloat in the best-of-seven series. San Antonio has yet to lose three straight games this season.
Wembanyama asserted his dominance on both ends, tallying all-around numbers of 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocks.
According to the NBA, the 22-year-old star from France now has 70 blocks in the playoffs, setting a new league record.
“Victor Wembanyama has surpassed Dikembe Mutombo's 69 blocks during the 1994 postseason for the most blocks by a player in their first career playoff run since blocks were fully recorded,” said the NBA.
70 BLOCKS IN 20 POSTSEASON GAMES 👽Victor Wembanyama has surpassed Dikembe Mutombo's 69 blocks during the 1994 postseason for the most blocks by a player in their first career playoff run since blocks were fully recorded.
— NBA (@nba.com) 2026-06-09T05:14:09.661Z
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Wembanyama, who joined an elite club in Game 3, is averaging 3.5 blocks in the playoffs.
He led the NBA with 3.1 blocks in the regular season, marking the third consecutive season that the 7-foot-4 pivot topped the league in swats.
Mutombo also led the NBA in blocks for three straight years from 1994 to 1996. He was a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. He tallied 251 career blocks in the playoffs, good for 11th on the all-time list. Unfortunately, he never won a championship in his 19-year career. He passed away in 2024 due to brain cancer.
Wembanyama has often been compared to Mutombo for their shot-blocking abilities, although the young center is more skilled and more versatile offensively.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama made sure that they would not find themselves in a 3-0 hole in the NBA Finals, holding off the New York Knicks with a gutsy victory in Game 3, 115-111, at Madison Square Garden on Monday. The Spurs ended the Knicks' 13-game winning streak and stayed afloat in the best-of-seven series.