Basketball Wiretap

Victor Wembanyama delivered 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists Monday night as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 115-111 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, cutting New York's series lead to 2-1 and snapping the Knicks' 13-game postseason winning streak.

The victory gave the Spurs their first Finals win and handed the Knicks their first loss in 46 days, ending the second-longest winning streak in NBA playoff history. New York's previous defeat came April 23 against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the first round.

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

San Antonio jumped out to a double-digit lead within five minutes, making nine of its first 11 shots and leading 33-22 after the first quarter. The Knicks rallied to take a 64-57 halftime advantage, but the Spurs regained control in the third quarter. Stephon Castle's three-pointer with 1:53 remaining put San Antonio ahead 111-104, and his two free throws with 6.8 seconds left sealed the outcome. Castle finished with 23 points. De'Aaron Fox also hit key shots down the stretch.

Jalen Brunson scored 32 points and OG Anunoby added 28 for New York. Karl-Anthony Towns was held to 11 points and Mikal Bridges was hampered by foul trouble.

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

Brown also expressed frustration over San Antonio's 24-8 free throw attempt advantage in the second half.

The result kept the Spurs alive in their bid to become the first team in NBA history to win the Finals after dropping the opening two games at home. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, with Game 5 set for Saturday in San Antonio.

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

Victor Wembanyama posted 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists Monday as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 115-111 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, trimming New York's series advantage to 2-1.

The Knicks' Polymarket championship probability fell from 78 percent to 63 percent following the defeat. New York had surged to 80 percent after Game 2, up from 53 percent after Game 1. San Antonio entered the series as a 64 percent favorite against New York's 36 percent.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 32 points, while OG Anunoby contributed 28. 

The loss ended New York's 13-game postseason win streak, the second-longest in NBA playoff history. The Knicks had not lost since April 23, a first-round defeat to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3.

Stephon Castle finished with 23 points and hit two decisive free throws with 6.8 seconds remaining to seal the victory. De'Aaron Fox also delivered late, helping San Antonio avoid a 3-0 deficit from which no NBA team has ever recovered in any playoff series.

For Finals MVP, Brunson remains the favorite at nearly 49 percent with Wembanyama improving from 22 percent to 38 percent.

Game 4 is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden with the Knicks favored by 1.5 points.

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Long-time NBA forward Trey Lyles moved abroad last season with Real Madrid in Spain. After a strong season, including a EuroLeague run, Lyles is looking to head back to the NBA.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.5 points on 49/42/78 shooting in 74 games across all competitions last season. Lyles had a big game in the EuroLeague final, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the first half.

Real Madrid has reportedly begun looking for replacements for Lyles, in anticipation of a move back to the NBA. Even if not opportunities materialize for Lyles, he's likely to receive bigger offers than Real Madrid will be able to match.

Victor Wembanyama said deliberate mental recovery between games helped fuel his performance in San Antonio's 115-111 Game 3 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday, cutting the NBA Finals deficit to 2-1.

"I really tried to relax. The playoffs, it's like a whirlwind," said Wembanyama, who finished with a game-high-tying 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks. "It's hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes, I don't even have time to watch the games back right away. I need some time off to let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind."

Wembanyama pursued that reset by visiting Gramercy Park before the game, where he sketched a statue of Edwin Booth. "Not bad, pretty good," he said of the drawing.

Mitch Johnson credited sharper offensive execution as the key adjustment from the Spurs' two previous losses.

"We made some strides in terms of the ball movement and playing with our teammates, setting screens, trusting the basketball would find the right guy for our shot," said Johnson. "We showed better poise at times. We finished the game still with some things that need improvement, but stronger than we did the last few games.

"We were in attack mode, but also as a collective group, it showed itself in terms of something would happen, whether it was an initial action or a guy trying to get to the paint. If they didn't have a clear advantage, they were looking for their teammates. Because we were doing that throughout the night, it was much clearer for teammates to expect where the ball was going and when it was going to get to them, and then what to do with it when it got to them."

San Antonio distributed 28 assists and had six players score in double figures. Stephon Castle added 23 points, five rebounds and five assists alongside Wembanyama, making them the first pair of teammates age 22 or younger to each score 20 or more points in a Finals game.

New York Knicks coach Mike Brown directed sharp criticism at the officiating after Monday's 115-111 Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, pointing to a stark free throw disparity that he said left him puzzled.

The Spurs held a 24-8 advantage in second-half free throw attempts. The Knicks were in the penalty for the final 9:18 of the fourth quarter, with San Antonio outshooting New York 14-3 from the line in the third quarter alone.

"There are some things that we can control that I didn't think that we controlled tonight," said Brown. "And then like I said, maybe we fouled 24 times, but I'm baffled that they only fouled eight in the second half."

Brown said he raised the issue directly with officials during the game.

"I talked to them, and they said, well, this is a foul, this is a foul," said Brown. "That's the question I had with them is, you're right. Maybe we did foul. But they fouled, too."

Knicks players declined to use the foul calls as an explanation for the defeat.

"That ain't cost us the game," said center Karl-Anthony Towns. "Turned the ball over. Didn't execute. Didn't do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. That's how you lose a game. We didn't do what we've been doing for 13. We decided to do something different, and it ain't going to work."

Brown acknowledged his public comments would keep the officiating story alive heading into Wednesday's Game 4, with New York's series lead now trimmed to 2-1.

Incoming Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports Bob Myers used Gansey's introductory press conference Monday to stress that the franchise must build a defined identity before it can contend for a championship.

"It's not a championship caliber team right now," said Gansey.

Myers was equally direct about the organization's shortcomings.

"We have to become great at something, right?" said Myers. "We were not elite offensively or defensively. If you're going to win at the highest level, you've got to be great at something."

Gansey, hired last week to replace fired president Daryl Morey, said establishing that identity starts with getting key players on the floor consistently. Joel Embiid has appeared in just 96 of 246 regular-season games over the past three seasons, while Paul George carries more than $110 million remaining on his contract.

"With him and the roster we have," said Gansey, "that's who we have. We've got to get those guys on the floor. We've got to create an identity. Just get them to play basketball."

Myers said Embiid enters the offseason without a scheduled surgery for the first time in recent years, calling it an opportunity for genuine improvement rather than recovery.

"This is an opportunity to get better, not to play catch-up for Joel, but to actually get better and build on last year," said Myers.

Gansey also advocated for a promotion for Jameer Nelson to general manager and expressed support for retaining head coach Nick Nurse heading into next season.

Victor Wembanyama leads all players in Player Efficiency Rating through the first three games of The Finals with a mark of 26.5. Wembanyama entered Game 3 at 21.2.

2026 NBA Finals PER (Through Game 3):
1. Victor Wembanyama: 26.5
2. OG Anunoby: 23.8
3. Karl-Anthony Towns: 20.8
4. Mitchell Robinson: 20.4
5. Josh Hart: 15.7
6. Stephon Castle: 14.8
7. Julian Champagnie: 14.8
8. Dylan Harper: 14.7
9. Jalen Brunson: 13.9
10. Mikal Bridges: 13.2
11. Devin Vassell: 12.4
12. Jose Alvarado: 10.9
13. De'Aaron Fox: 9.8
14. Landry Shamet: 8.4
15. Keldon Johnson: 3.7
16. Miles McBride: 2.9

The Toronto Raptors are working on an extension for head coach Darko Rajakovic, sources told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.

Rajakovic is entering the last year of his contract.

The Raptors signed general manager Bobby Webster to a multi-year extension on Monday. 

Rajakovic has a record of 101-145 over three seasons with the Raptors. 

AJ Dybantsa said he expects to experience a quick turnaround like the San Antonio Spurs once he's in the league on Monday.

"It won't take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic," Dybantsa said. "I think that will be, I'm not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what these guys do in terms of the forecast."

Dybantsa, who is the favorite to be the top pick by the Wizards, added that he hasn't spoken to Washington since the draft combine.

Dybantsa then emphasized his versatility and playmaking. 

"There's a lot of it. I think my ability to get in the paint and dish out to my teammates, as well as creating for myself," Dybantsa said. "So I think I'm just a natural playmaker, meshing myself with others."

Former Washington Wizards assistant coach Ryan Richman was named the new head coach of the Alvark Tokyo in the Japanese B.League Premier on Monday.

Richman most recently lead the SeaHorses Mikawa to three straight playoff appearances.

Richman was pursued by half a dozen NBA teams for assistant coaching opportunities this offseason.