Knicks 107-106 Spurs: 2026 NBA Finals Game 4 Review

This event is complete, so the page has been converted from a pre-event prediction into a factual archive. New York beat San Antonio 107-106 in Game 4 after overcoming a 29-point deficit. OG Anunoby tipped in the winner with 1.2 seconds left and the Knicks took a 3-1 series lead. There are no current odds, live picks or bookmaker calls to action below.

The New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs result and event details were checked against official source 1 and official source 2 and official source 3. Statistics not published by those sources are not added. Tactical explanations are editorial analysis and are kept separate from the official record.

Result at a glance

How a 29-point deficit disappeared

San Antonio controlled the opening half with a level of perimeter accuracy that made the original pre-game framing obsolete. The Spurs scored 41 points in the first quarter and reached halftime ahead 76-49. NBA's official notes record 14 made three-pointers before the break, a Finals record for a half. New York was not merely behind because of one unlucky run; the Knicks had allowed San Antonio to dictate spacing, tempo and the location of the first pass.

The comeback began with a different defensive shape rather than a single scoring burst. New York limited the Spurs to 14 points in the third quarter, then 16 in the fourth. The Knicks outscored San Antonio 58-30 after halftime, repeatedly forcing the ball away from the first option and making the younger Spurs finish possessions late in the clock. That sequence converted a game that looked settled into a one-possession contest.

The 29-point recovery is the largest comeback on record in NBA Finals history. The official game notes add two useful comparisons: teams down by at least 27 at halftime had been 0-58 in playoff games during the shot-clock era, and teams down by at least 17 inside the final nine minutes had been 0-96 in Finals games since 1971. Those records describe the scale of the reversal without implying that similar deficits are normally recoverable.

Brunson and Anunoby changed the closing possessions

Jalen Brunson finished with 36 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. OG Anunoby scored 33 points and made seven of nine three-point attempts. NBA's review notes that the two combined for 69 points and scored 36 in the second half, matching San Antonio's entire second-half total between them. Their production mattered because it arrived alongside the defensive recovery rather than as empty scoring during a decided game.

Brunson gave New York a stable organiser when the margin became manageable. His late scoring forced San Antonio to defend the ball and opened space for Anunoby away from the primary action. Anunoby's shooting punished those rotations, but his final contribution was not another three. With the Knicks down one, he attacked the rebound lane and tipped in the game-winner with 1.2 seconds remaining.

NBA Communications identifies the tip-in as the tenth Finals game-winning field goal made with three seconds or less remaining since 1971. That historical note is more useful than describing the finish as luck. Anunoby still had to read the flight of the miss, establish position against taller defenders and redirect the ball before San Antonio could secure the rebound.

What the Spurs produced before the collapse

Victor Wembanyama recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Devin Vassell scored 18 and made five three-pointers, while San Antonio spread the early scoring across seven players from long range. The first-half lead was supported by real execution: the Spurs created clean catches, moved New York's help defenders and used Wembanyama's presence to alter both rim protection and perimeter coverage.

The difficulty was preserving the same shot quality once New York increased pressure. San Antonio scored only 30 points in the second half and could not slow the game enough to protect the margin. A young team that had been playing with freedom became responsible for managing every possession, and the Knicks' physical switching reduced the simple passes that had driven the first two quarters.

This does not turn the Spurs' 29-point lead into a false signal. It shows that a large advantage can contain two different performance states: dominant creation before halftime and fragile possession management after it. Future analysis should separate those phases instead of using the final score to claim San Antonio had been outplayed for the full game.

Series and historical context

Game 4 moved New York ahead 3-1 in the series. The Knicks had won the first two games in San Antonio, the Spurs had answered in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, and the fourth meeting offered San Antonio a chance to level the Finals. The comeback removed that opportunity and placed the Knicks one win from their first championship since 1973.

The official NBA Finals schedule records that New York later won Game 5, 94-90, to finish the series 4-1. That later result belongs in the archive because it establishes the completed series, but it should not be projected backward as proof that Game 4 was inevitable. San Antonio led by 29 and remained ahead until the final seconds.

The series also became only the second Finals matchup since 1971 to contain multiple one-point games, joining the 1975 Warriors-Bullets Finals. Game 2 ended 105-104 and Game 4 ended 107-106. Close margins across two games reinforce the need to analyse possession-level execution rather than treating the 4-1 series score as a complete account of competitiveness.

How to read this result in future analysis

The original imported page was incorrectly labelled as tennis even though its own source text said NBA Predictions and described the Knicks and Spurs. That classification error also produced a tennis template and tennis-specific generic paragraphs. This archive corrects the sport to basketball, removes the unrelated serve-and-return language and binds every result claim to NBA sources.

The most important performance split is halftime. San Antonio's 76-49 lead was built on 14 first-half threes and functional spacing around Wembanyama. New York's response was a 58-30 second half created by stronger ball pressure, more controlled possessions and two high-output wings. Treating the comeback as one miraculous final tip would hide the 24 minutes of work required to make that tip matter.

Brunson and Anunoby combined for 69 points, but their roles were not interchangeable. Brunson carried primary creation and organised the final possessions; Anunoby provided high-value shooting, defensive size and the offensive rebound that decided the game. A later Knicks-Spurs comparison should check whether both functions remain available rather than copying the old score or assuming another record comeback.

For San Antonio, the archive distinguishes shot creation from game control. The Spurs proved they could build a Finals-level advantage and Wembanyama produced a strong two-way line. They did not show that they could preserve spacing and decision quality after New York changed pressure. That is a developmental observation from this game, not a permanent judgement about the roster.

NBA Communications and the NBA game pages verify the final score, quarter scores, comeback size, player leaders, final tip-in, series position and historical records cited here. Descriptions of switching, possession management and role separation are editorial analysis. No current spread, total, moneyline or bookmaker offer is attached to this completed event.

Editorial verdict

New York's 107-106 win was a record comeback built over the entire second half and finished by Anunoby's tip-in. San Antonio's early shooting created a genuine 29-point advantage, but the Knicks' pressure, Brunson's creation and Anunoby's two-way impact changed every late possession.

This completed 2026 NBA Finals page is retained as a historical reference. It is not a current recommendation, and its old result should not be displayed as a scheduled or live event.

FAQ

Who won Knicks vs Spurs Game 4?

The New York Knicks won 107-106.

How large was the comeback?

New York recovered from a 29-point deficit, the largest in NBA Finals history.

Who made the game-winning basket?

OG Anunoby scored on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.

What was the series score afterward?

The Knicks led the Finals 3-1.

Why was the old page showing tennis content?

The imported source tag was wrong. The article text and official NBA record confirm this was basketball.