The San Antonio Spurs are trying to claw back into the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games at home. They did just that on Monday night, taking Game 3 from the New York Knicks to cut the series deficit in half at 2-1.
In the house to watch Game 3 was Justin Champagnie, the brother of Spurs sharpshooter Julian Champagnie. Justin plays for the Washington Wizards but made the trip to the Big Apple to watch his identical twin help the Spurs get back in the series with a big Game 3 win.
On Tuesday, Julian Champagnie talked about what it meant to have his brother at the game.
“I was super happy… To have him here to watch me on the biggest stage is the best thing ever.”
Julian Champagnie on his twin brother Justin showing up for Game 3 of the Finals 🙌
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/V3JxqPdQsf
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 9, 2026
“I was super happy he was here,” Champagnie said. “To have him here to watch me on the biggest stage is the best thing ever.”
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Champagnie didn't have a huge night in the 115-111 win, but he still racked up 12 points and knocked down three 3-pointers in the process. During this playoff run, the 24-year old has been a crucial cog in the rotation for Mitch Johnson and the Spurs as a sharpshooter who can space the floor and also provide good positional size on the defensive end of the floor.
While Game 3 wasn't necessarily one of them, Champagnie has had some big games during these playoffs. He knocked down six 3-pointers in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder and drilled another five of them in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks.
The Spurs still have plenty of work to do to get back into this series against the Knicks, starting in Game 4 on Wednesday night. If they are going to complete the comeback and win an NBA championship, they might just need another big shooting game or two from Champagnie to help overcome the red-hot Knicks.
Maybe Justin Champagnie in the crowd is the good luck charm that San Antonio needs to complete what would be a truly improbable comeback and playoff run to a title with this very young core of stars.
The San Antonio Spurs are trying to claw back into the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games at home. They did just that on Monday night, taking Game 3 from the New York Knicks to cut the series deficit in half at 2-1. In the house to watch Game 3 was Justin Champagnie, the brother of Spurs sharpshooter Julian Champagnie.