Wembanyama, Spurs stun Knicks in MSG to revive Finals hopes - ESPN

NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama has his first NBA Finals win — and the Knicks suddenly have a lot of work left to end their 53-year championship drought.

Wembanyama had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists, carrying the San Antonio Spurs to a 115-111 victory Monday night that cut the Knicks' lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

San Antonio is trying to make a first-of-its-kind NBA Finals comeback, and the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, with his array of skills, makes anything look possible.

«I'm sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation,» Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. «I don't think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance.»

The Spurs handed the Knicks their first loss in 46 days and potentially salvaged their season in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd that included President Donald Trump.

The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in NBA postseason history, snapped and missed a chance to move to the brink of their first title since 1973. Their previous loss occurred on April 23 in a one-point defeat to the Atlanta Hawks. They won the next three against Atlanta, swept Philadelphia and Cleveland and took the first two games against the Spurs.

The run stirred New York into a frenzy, with raucous watch parties, fans paying outrageous sums of money for tickets and «Knicks In Four» becoming a daily greeting on streets, subway cars and in workplaces.

But Wembanyama and the Spurs ended the streak and ruined the Knicks' first home NBA Finals game since 1999.

«At home, it really feels like playing six against five. Here, it feels like five against six,» Wembanyama said. «It really shows what teams are made of.»

Knicks coach Mike Brown complained about the Spurs'