Devin Vassell and the Spurs lost a game they will never forget (Photo via X)
Ray Allen. Point Four. The Foul. The Dream Shakes. The Pass. Twenty Nine. A new chapter in heartbreak lore was written by the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals. The Spurs led by as many as 29 points, were up 27 points at halftime and 20 points in the fourth quarter but ended up collapsing. The New York Knicks are now up 3-1 in the series after their shocking 107-106 victory.
This one hurts. The Spurs had a chance to tie the Finals, recapture homecourt advantage and take the series back to the Frost Bank Center with all the momentum. Instead, after scoring 76 points in the first half, San Antonio stopped playing the style of game that got them the lead. The result was a 30-point second half in which the good guys were seemingly trying to run out the clock and compounded their issues with a barrage of poor decisions.
The do-or-die Game 5 is on Saturday. Let’s hope the Spurs can regroup and somehow put Twenty Nine behind them.
Stats: Spurs at Knicks
Spurs at Knicks – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama was pretty damn good in the first half. He had 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks while hitting better than half of his shots from the field. In the final 22 minutes of the game, Wembanyama was 2-for-12 and 1-for-4 from the line. He missed a nightmarish number of tip-ins right at the rim and the bad dream continued when he missed a pair of key free throws late in the game. The Frenchman just went cold on offense. Defensively, he had a couple of amazing plays to give the Spurs a chance to win. But, truth be told, his level of defensive greatness took a rest in the third quarter and that played a part in the Knicks being able to stage their comeback.
Grade: C-
De’Aaron Fox
Fox was great in the first half. He had 13 points powered by three three-pointers to go along with six assists before halftime. He was a big reason why the Spurs were able to build such a commanding lead. His second half was horrendous, to be blunt. He had four turnovers to only one assist. He was 2-for-8 from the field. And his actual play was worse than those numbers suggest. Instead of being a calming influence, he was arguably the main source of panic and dysfunction. Fox didn’t take care of the ball, he didn’t run the offense well and he made poor decisions. Getting blocked on a layup at the end when he could have just pulled the ball out to waste time and get fouled … man, damn, ugh, that’s a play that Spurs fans will never forget.
Grade: D+
Stephon Castle
Castle didn’t have an especially large role in the good times of the first half. In the second half, he only attempted one field goal but helped keep the Spurs afloat by going 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Castle’s problems in Game 4 revolved around fouls. He was only able to play 26 minutes due to persistent foul trouble. Not only were his minutes limited, the coaching staff had to keep him away from the action for stretches because he was being undisciplined. If the Spurs are going to recover in this series, they need Castle to avoid fouls.
Grade: C-
Devin Vassell
Vassell did his part. He might have been the MVP of the first half. By intermission, he had 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting, including 4-for-4 from downtown. He was also playing great defense and his energy was palpable. I thought his defense remained really good in the second half. While he was only 1-for-4 after halftime, his decision-making was fine and he was still playing at a high enough level for the Spurs to win.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
The Spurs set a Finals record by hitting 14 three-pointers in the first half. Surprisingly, only one of those long bombs was authored by Champagnie. He was 1-for-5 from deep at halftime and finished 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. While he never got it going, he didn’t play a leading role in the collapse. There were maybe a couple ill-advised shots but he was playing hard-nosed defense and he kept his confidence up even during the bad times. The Spurs need Champagnie to shoot straighter but the rest of his game was acceptable-ish.
Grade: C+
Dylan Harper
The Spurs wasted a hell of an effort by their star rookie. In the first half, Harper had 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting including 3-for-3 from three-point territory. Furthermore, he had three assists in the first two periods and played excellent defense. The second half wasn’t as kind to the rookie. He was 2-for-5 with three turnovers and a few head-scratching decisions. But, hell, at least Harper’s mistakes were of the aggressive variety. At times, he seemed to be the only one actually still playing basketball for San Antonio. I can’t put much blame on him for what happened. He still played pretty damn fantastic overall.
Grade: A-
Keldon Johnson
Johnson’s role in all of this is difficult to pin down. He wasn’t really part of the most glaring problems but he also didn’t offer many solutions during his 18 minutes on the court. Johnson was 1-for-5 from the field and played below average defense in terms of knowing where to be and being in those positions. His physicality was helpful throughout, though. Johnson was also one of the few players who seemed to have his foot at least partially on the gas. All in all, it wasn’t a good game by Johnson but the collapse didn’t have much to do with his play.
Grade: C-
Carter Bryant
Bryant played five minutes in the first half and did pretty damn good. He hit a three-pointer and had a transition alleyoop dunk. His defense was good and he avoided miscues. In retrospect, Bryant’s boundless energy probably could have been useful in the second half. Maybe he would have made mistakes but the Spurs were in dire need of electricity after halftime.
Grade: B+
Luke Kornet
Kornet only played four minutes. He played pretty good positional defense. His most notable play was a goaltend he got away with after knocking away what looked like an alleyoop pass but, on replay, was actually a shot.
Grade: B-
Mitch Johnson
I don’t know how much blame Coach Mitch deserves for this slow motion car crash. He had his troops playing inspired, near perfect basketball in the first two quarters. After halftime, the Spurs succumbed to the classic try-not-to-lose mindset that has been the root cause for collapses since humans first gathered for organized sporting events. I’m sure he pushed buttons but nothing worked. In hindsight, he didn’t manage Wembanyama’s minutes properly. But, honestly, I wasn’t second-guessing him in real time because it felt like Wembanyama’s presence was needed to stabilize the falling walls and that at any moment the good guys could regain their footing. I felt his timeout usage was fine. Could Coach Mitch have done something more to stop Twenty Nine or was he basically as helpless as the rest of us? He probably could have but I don’t know.
Grade: D+