Victor Wembanyama bounces back with big NBA Finals Game 3, leads Spurs to win over Knicks 9%
By Peter Sblendorio0%
6/8/2026, 11:33:36 PM
Topics: Basketball
BS Summary: This article contains 19 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Recency Bias, and Halo Effect, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 17.8% saturation with 146 hits. Analysis detected 847 faulty-reasoning hits from 822 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 26.6% and a BS Rank of 9% (18,619 of 20,452 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 91.00% of the article peer group.
Victor Wembanyama knew his misses and miscues cost the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
He said those shortcomings would “fuel” him.
And when his Spurs needed him most, Wembanyama finally rose to the occasion.
Wembanyama delivered his best performance of the Finals in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, helping to deal the Knicks a 115-111 loss and inject new life into San Antonio’s season.
The 7-4 center totaled 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks, playing with much more aggression and poise as the Spurs cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1.
“I’m sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said.
“I don’t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance, and him being on his front foot in terms of being in attack mode.”
Although he entered Monday averaging 27.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the Finals, the 22-year-old Wembanyama’s passiveness in Games 1 and 2 drew heavy scrutiny.
In Game 1, Wembanyama shot 6-of-21 from the field, and only six of those attempts came within three feet of the basket.
In Game 2, Wembanyama attempted only four shots in the first half, then threw the ball away and fouled Jalen Brunson in the waning seconds of regulation, setting up the Knicks’ game-winning free throw.
Wembanyama’s miss at the buzzer capped a one-point Knicks victory.
Afterward, Wembanyama described feeling “blurry” down the stretch of that loss.
But Wembanyama’s approach was crystal clear in Game 3.
From the opening tip, the Spurs prioritized getting Wembanyama good looks near the basket.
They set screens on Karl-Anthony Towns — who has thrived as Wembanyama’s primary defender — to create defensive mismatches.
And any time they got Towns off of Wembanyama, they attacked.
The Spurs’ first basket was an alley-oop from De’Aaron Fox to Wembanyama.
Their second basket was a Wembanyama dunk after a pick-and-roll got OG Anunoby matched up with him beneath the basket.
Less than two minutes later, with Towns switched onto him, Castle found Wembanyama for a long lob, resulting in an easy lay-up.
And that was just the start.
Eight of Wembanyama’s 11 baskets were either lay-ups or dunks.
Six of them were set up by a lob.
“I give San Antonio, their staff and their players a lot of credit,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said.
“They just stayed with it, stayed with it, tried to execute, tried to execute, and we did not do a good job with the details.
“I think it’s a combination of both, because they had to execute their actions, and then we had to make sure that we tried to execute our defensive responsibilities, and we didn’t do a really good job with it.”
Monday’s performance was in stark contrast to the first two games of the series, when the Spurs completed only one lob to Wembanyama.
Wembanyama shot 2-of-4 from the 3-point line Monday, marking his fewest attempts and best efficiency of the series.
“Games take on different personalities, and different opportunities can show themselves early, right?”
Johnson said.
“We never told Victor don’t shoot an open 3-point shot, even if it’s early in the game.
We wanted to put pressure on the paint and the rim.”
Wembanyama, the NBA’s unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and premier shot-blocker, made his presence felt on that end, too, frequently playing back to protect the rim as the Spurs deployed smaller defenders on Towns.
In the first quarter, Wembanyama blocked a 3-point attempt from OG Anunoby in the corner.
He then stuffed a driving Landry Shamet late in the fourth.
It was an all-around eventful evening for Wembanyama, who got tangled up with Brunson in the first quarter before shoving the Knicks point guard to the ground.
Wembanyama was not called for a foul, but Brunson got up with words for the big man.
“Whatever you saw is what you saw,” Brunson said of the exchange.
Wembanyama heard boos — and profane chants — from Knicks fans throughout the evening.
“I’m nowhere near Trae Young level, though,” Wembanyama quipped, referring to one of the most notorious Knicks villains.
The big outing by Wembanyama spoiled the Knicks’ first Finals home game since 1999.
On Wednesday at the Garden, Wembanyama and the Spurs will attempt to even the best-of-seven series — and return the favor after the Knicks took Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio.
“I really tried to relax,” Wembanyama said.
“The playoffs, it’s like … a whirlwind.
It’s hard to put your head out of the water.
Sometimes I don’t even go to watch the game back right away.
I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover.
Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
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