Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals was an instant classic, with the New York Knicks overcoming a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs and complete the greatest comeback in NBA history.
The Spurs dominated the first half, making 13 threes while taking advantage of the Knicks' struggles to deal with the tighter officiating, as San Antonio was up 76-49 at halftime. New York used the break to calm down and came out much more focused in the second half, holding the Spurs to just 30 points total across the final 24 minutes.
New York's comeback occurred across much of the second half as the team needed to chip away at the bloated point differential. However, it wasn't until the last six minutes or so that the comeback hit overdrive, giving fans one of the most exhilarating endings in NBA Finals history.
Here's a look at how the Knicks executed the massive comeback in Game 4.
MORE:Main takeaways from Knicks-Spurs Game 4 NBA Finals
Knicks vs. Spurs comeback timeline
Initial Knicks run
The Knicks came back from down 29 in the second half to win, producing an iconic moment in sports. It began with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 22, which made fans at Madison Square Garden believe that this was possible.
7-0 run for Jalen Brunson (team-high 22) and the Knicks!
Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters lovin' what they're seeing 👏 pic.twitter.com/8OWyKJNwHa
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026
Karl-Anthony Towns step-back three
New York was able to cut the lead down to 15 points, but struggled to get over that hump before the third quarter ended. It wasn't until Karl-Anthony Towns' step-back three that the Knicks got within 12 of San Antonio late, and a few moments later, Towns got the game within single digits on a tough bucket.
what a way for KAT to score his first 4Q points of the whole seriespic.twitter.com/whwqNnh56q
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 11, 2026
KAT BRINGS THE KNICKS WITHIN SINGLE DIGITS!
Watch the 4Q of Game 4 on ABC 👀 pic.twitter.com/UPobXfeCa1
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026
The lead continued to jockey at around 10 points for a few minutes until the Knicks made another small, but impactful, run, especially as backup point guard Jose Alvarado played alongside Brunson down the stretch. That was punctuated by an OG Anunoby three-pointer to get the game within four points, allowing the crowd to smell a successful comeback.
OG FOR THREE. IT'S A 4-POINT GAME.
MSG IS GOING CRAZY ON ABC 🤯 pic.twitter.com/on1RsnJDoS
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026
MORE: What went wrong for the Spurs in Game 4
Jalen Brunson cuts lead to one
At that point, the game turned into a true nail-biter, requiring great execution from both sides. Brunson was great in the second half, and his best moment of the game was hitting a three over Victor Wembanyama's head to cut the lead to just one.
JALEN BRUNSON MAKES IT A 1-POINT GAME 😱
UNDER 3 TO GO IN GAME 4 ON ABC. pic.twitter.com/5IPxP0HLie
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026
Josh Hart miscues
With all the momentum on their side, the Knicks almost blew the game when Josh Hart missed an easy transition layup that would've given them their first lead of the game. Hart also failed to box out Stephon Castle late in the game, which cost the Knicks two points.
JOSH HART NOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/Xz9EqDmkg8
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 11, 2026
Victor Wembanyama missed free throws
With under two minutes to go, Wembanyama missed two huge free throw attempts that could've iced the game. Instead, the Spurs' lead remained just one point.
WEMBY CHOKED AT THE FREE THROW LINE pic.twitter.com/3xuf7qpPfM
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) June 11, 2026
Immediately after, New York did take the lead with a Brunson layup, but the Spurs took it right back to make the score 106-105 with 30 seconds left.
MORE:Taylor Swift, Timothee Chalamet, Knicks fans celebrate stunning comeback win
OG Anunoby game-winning block and tip-in
The Knicks' first chance at a game-winning play was thwarted by good Spurs defense, but Anunoby saved the day by chasing down De'Aaron Fox to secure a huge block on defense.
Just before his game-winning putback to complete the Knicks' NBA Finals-record 29-point comeback... OG Anunoby delivered a CLUTCH block on the other end.
TWO-WAY IMPACT ON DISPLAY 💯 https://t.co/IcOqBvvOyh pic.twitter.com/CWmlQVckuA
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026
Ultimately, that all led to the final bucket of the game, as Anunoby cleaned up Brunson's miss from deep to take a one-point lead for good.
OG ANUNOBY WITH THE PUTBACK.
KNICKS COMPLETE THE 29-PT COMEBACK FOR THE WIN.
LARGEST COMEBACK IN NBA FINALS HISTORY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZtWVWY6JsR
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026
With just 1.2 seconds left, Stephon Castle couldn't get a shot up on the final play, which means that the Anunoby tip-in stands as NBA history.