Roundtable Roundup: Knicks Face First Real Test of the Playoffs After Game 3 Loss

The New York Knicks had not lost a basketball game since April 23.

That changed Monday night at Madison Square Garden, where the San Antonio Spurs pulled out a 115-111 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals and snapped a 13-game winning streak that stands as the second longest in NBA postseason history.

New York still leads the series 2-1 and remains two wins from its first championship since 1973, but the loss served notice that the last two victories of a title run are usually the hardest ones to get.

Victor Wembanyama, who is averaging 24.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks this postseason, finally got loose after Karl-Anthony Towns kept him uncomfortable through the first two games.

He finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists, with 10 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.

The bigger problem was everything around him. New York committed 13 turnovers that San Antonio turned into 21 points, and the Knicks spent the final 9 minutes and 18 seconds of the fourth quarter in the penalty.

The Spurs shot 24 free throws in the second half to New York's eight, a gap that left Mike Brown visibly frustrated in his postgame press conference, though he also made a point of crediting the opponent.

"I tell the guys, it's a seven-game series for a reason," Brown said. "They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It's not going to be easy."

The formula is not complicated, even if executing it will be.

The Knicks, who went 53-29 in the regular season before sweeping their way through Cleveland to reach the Finals, have to take care of the ball, defend without fouling, and get Towns back to bothering Wembanyama the way he did in San Antonio.

Jalen Brunson, who is putting up 26.6 points and 6.3 assists per game in these playoffs, scored 32 in the loss and gave New York a chance late.

Winning Game 4 at home Wednesday would push the Spurs to the brink and take the pressure off a potential Game 5 back at Frost Bank Center, where San Antonio went 32-8 during a 62-win regular season.

New York has trailed by double digits in all three games of this series, and the comebacks that worked in Games 1 and 2 finally ran out of road.

Stephon Castle scored 23 on Monday and hit a huge three late, the Spurs' young guards keep finding holes in the defense, and Wembanyama looks more comfortable by the night.

The Knicks have earned the right to feel confident.

They just cannot afford to keep digging early holes against a team this talented, because the next escape act might not come.