Spurs bounce back to win game 3 in New York

The Spurs have bounced back and shown their resiliency all season long, and that was no different Monday night, resulting in a 115-111 victory to cut the Knicks’ series lead down to 2-1.

The good guys were on fire to start. They prioritized paint touches and got Wemby going early, throwing him lobs and opening up the lane for drives. There was always an extra pass to find the open man, resulting in an early 7-0 run that soon turned into a double-digit lead. Defensively, San Antonio threw different coverages at the Knicks, sometimes matching Wemby up with KAT and at other times allowing him to roam off of Josh Hart. As a result, New York struggled to get anything going, turning the ball over and forcing up bad shots.

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Similar to games 1 and 2, though, the Knicks mounted a comeback — using their bench no less, in the non-Brunson minutes. New York finally started running their offense more through KAT, who overpowered every Spur not named Wemby. Clarkson, Alvarado, and Shamet energized the crowd and the home team through their relentless effort, helping them knock down shots while the Spurs went cold. Steph Castle was the only one consistently scoring for the good guys, capitalizing on turnovers and attacking the basket fearlessly.

Then, things went from bad to worse in the blink of an eye for San Antonio. Josh Hart made a number of wide-open threes, and the Knicks’ ball movement was always one step ahead of the visiting team. After a slow start, Brunson started knocking down shots too, and New York suddenly turned a deficit into a 7-point lead going into halftime, outscoring the Spurs 42-24 in the second.

As has been the case all season long, the Spurs wouldn’t give up. They played methodically to start the third, regaining the lead. Wemby found his stroke from deep, making two threes that quieted the raucous MSG crowd. The bench logged key minutes too, keeping San Antonio above water while giving Wemby a breather. Then, both teams tightened up, playing some sloppy basketball at both ends. The Spurs started throwing the ball all over the gym while New York rushed shots, and the scoring dried up.