Knicks stage historic comeback to beat Spurs, take 3-1 lead

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NEW YORK (AFP) — The New York Knicks staged the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history on Wednesday as they erased a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 and now need one more win to seal the title.

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OG Anunoby’s tip-in basket with 1.2 seconds left sealed the thrilling victory to give the Knicks a 3-1 stranglehold on the best-of-seven championship series, which shifts back to San Antonio for game five on Saturday.

Jalen Brunson scored 36 points and Anunoby added 33 for New York, putting in the game-winner off Brunson’s three-point attempt that struck the rim.

“Just do whatever it takes to win,” Anunoby said of the basket that sent a star-studded crowd at Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

Dylan Harper added 21 points and De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell had 18 apiece for San Antonio, who set a Finals record with 14 three-pointers in the first half but couldn’t make their massive lead stand up.

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Brunson put New York in front for the first time with a floater that made it 105-104 with 1:22 remaining.

San Antonio’s Stephon Castle made a pair of free throws but the Knicks came through, Anunoby rising from a scrum of Spurs defenders to clinch the win.

The previous biggest comeback in the Finals was 24 points, by the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.

Several arrested outside NBA Finals in New York

Police arrested several unruly fans near Madison Square Garden in New York Wednesday night, where basketball fans gathered for Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Spurs and the Knicks, an AFP photographer observed.

Law enforcement also used stun grenades in an attempt to disperse crowds gathered for the game, in which the Knicks mounted an epic comeback to beat the Spurs, giving the New York team a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.

At least four people were taken into custody Wednesday night.

The events took place in midtown Manhattan, a few blocks from the famous sports arena hosting the Finals, which was sealed off for the game by a large police presence.

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Fearing unrest, earlier in the day authorities had banned planned public screenings of the game near the arena.

On Monday, during game 3 of the Finals, police arrested 21 people, eight of whom were charged and the others were fined. Four officers were injured, law enforcement reported.

Spurs supporters were targeted during that game, which was called “unacceptable” by the French star of the Texas team Victor Wembanyama.

Singer Taylor Swift courtside as Knicks duel Spurs in NBA Finals

Pop diva Taylor Swift was courtside at Madison Square Garden to cheer on the New York Knicks in game four of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

The 14-time Grammy award-winner, sporting a blue and orange Knicks T-shirt with the slogan “Stevie Knicks,” upped the already considerable star power as she joined longtime Knicks fans like film director Spike Lee and actor Ben Stiller in the crowd.

The appearance came a day after her surprise performance in Los Angeles at the world premiere of the movie “Toy Story 5,” for which she wrote a song.

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And it came at the same iconic arena where it’s rumored her wedding to NFL player Travis Kelce will take place next month.

The Knicks’ bid for a first NBA title since 1973 — against a young Spurs team featuring French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama — has galvanized New York and captured the attention of sports fans across the United States.

The Knicks’ victories in the first two games in San Antonio fueled feverish excitement among their fans.

The Spurs clawed back a game on Monday at Madison Square Garden — where US President Donald Trump was roundly booed as he attended the last game as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan.

That game was the most-watched NBA Finals game three since 1998, the year of icon Michael Jordan’s last Finals, according to figures released by the Nielsen media research company.

The game averaged 23.8 million viewers and peaked at 26.3 million late in the fourth quarter, Nielsen said on Wednesday.

That’s the largest television audience since Super Bowl 60 on February 8.

Swift isn’t a new Knicks fan. Born in neighboring Pennsylvania, she has attended other Knicks games since moving to New York in 2014.

Three weeks ago she and Kelce attended a Knicks playoff game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland — a win for the Knicks to the frustration of Ohio-born Kelce.

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