By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Defying a deafening atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden, the San Antonio Spurs displayed resilience to prevail in Game 3 and secure their first win of the NBA Finals 2026 on Monday.
At the center of a key victory was Victor Wembanyama, who scored a game-high 32 points, helping his side reduce the best-of-seven series deficit to 2–1. With this dominant performance, Wemby became the second-youngest player to put up 30–5–5 in the Finals, after Magic Johnson.
The 22-year-old superstar showed remarkable poise under pressure, bouncing back from a tough finish in the prior matchup by adjusting his approach. “Less mistakes, more control,” he said in a postgame interview, describing how his side narrowly held on in crunch time.
Despite the historic individual achievement and shifting the momentum of the series, the two-time All-Star and reigning Defensive Player of the Year made it clear that the team’s ultimate objective remains far from finished. “The job is absolutely not done,” he added. “The hardest is yet to come.”
Staying in Madison Square Garden, Game 4 of the championship series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, follows on Wednesday.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 4-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79, 116-94)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112, 114-102)
New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-4 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106, 100-109)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers 3-4 (111-101, 107-97, 109-116, 103-112, 113-117, 115-94, 94-125)
New York Knicks – Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 (137-98, 108-102, 108-94, 144-114)
Finals (best-of-seven)
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 (115-104, 109-93, 121-108, 130-93)
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 4-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99, 98-78)
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 (108-90, 125-107, 131-108, 115-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2 (102-104, 133-95, 115-108, 109-114, 126-97, 139-109)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs 3-4 (115-122, 122-113, 123-108, 82-103, 127-114, 91-118, 103-111)
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks 1-2 (95-105, 104-105, 115-111)
Make