The Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals has emerged as the most captivating basketball narrative of 2026. New York has taken the unconquerable, defeating San Antonio in both of the first two games on the road at Frost Bank Center to come back to Madison Square Garden with a four-set lead in the series. The San Antonio Spurs have no option but to win Game 3. Clearly, this is the most important game in this franchise's history since their days of glory.
The 0-2 record in the NBA Finals is a disaster. That hole has been the home of three teams in the history of the championship—all of whom have come back to win the trophy after a defeat. But basketball, unlike most sports, is about perseverance and the heart of San Antonio, in the form of Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, is far from done. It is not as though they have the ability to compete. Whether they have the time, and enough faith in themselves to turn this series around in the soundshells of pro ball.
From the first to last, this complete history of 0-2 NBA Finals comebacks will show you all of the games, complete with stats, along with the best player to player match-ups, and the latest betting lines and best buys for Game 3 and beyond.
Let's get down to the facts. It's extremely unusual for a team to come back from an 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals. To date, there have been only three teams to pull it off — with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers being the last in the modern era, as they are widely regarded as the best sports comeback ever.
| Year | Team (Trailing 0-2) | Opponent | Series Result | Champion |
| 1969 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 | Celtics ✓ |
| 2006 | Miami Heat | Dallas Mavericks | 4-2 | Heat ✓ |
| 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 4-3 | Cavaliers ✓ |
| All others (50+ attempts) | Various | Various | — | Lost Series ✗ |
There have been three teams in Finals history who have come back from an 0-2 deficit, which means that a 0-2 team has about a 5-6% chance of winning a Finals game. The common denominator of those that worked: a transcendent superstar who turned his game into a completely different player (LeBron James in 2016, Dwyane Wade in 2006), expensive stumbles by the front-line team that opened the way and a blowout road trip victory that bought the war (at least one in each case).
Can the 2026 Spurs make it to this exclusive list? Wembanyama is a gift for the league that it's never seen before. Fox has proven to be a good playoff scorer. The ingredients exist. The Knicks, however, who are currently on a 13-game winning streak and have never lost a series in their history, aren't one of these teams.
"“Each team that returned from 0-2 had one thing in common: They ceased to think about winning the series and began to think about winning the next game."
Final Score: New York Knicks 105, San Antonio Spurs 95
Quarter-by-Quarter:
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| SAS | 27 | 28 | 21 | 19 | 95 |
| NYK | 19 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 105 |
Top Rebounders - Knicks: Jalen Brunson 30 pts (12-31 FG, 4 FT), Karl-Anthony Towns 18 pts / 12 reb, OG Anunoby 17 pts
Top Scorers - Spurs: Victor Wembanyama 26 pts / 12 reb / 3 blk, Stephon Castle 17 pts, Dylan Harper 16 pts
Key Moments and Analysis: San Antonio dominated the first quarter (27-19) and at midway point (SAS 55, NYK 48) the game seemed to be competitive. The turning point came in the third quarter when New York's suffocating team defense contained the Spurs to only 21 points with the Lakers offense coming on fire. A crushing fourth quarter (Knicks 29, Spurs 19) wrapped up the victory. Brunson's 30 points on pure willpower, plus KAT's interior strength (50 paint points for the Knicks all told) demonstrated just how poorly San Antonio could handle two greats together. Wembanyama had 26 and 12 and six turnovers. De'Aaron Fox was just 3-of-13 from the field. This will be the pattern for this series as New York's bench outshot San Antonio's reserves 28-20.
Biggest Turning Point: The third quarter collapse of the defense. The Spurs missed from the field in the second half and the Knicks were 14-14 from the floor on turnovers.
Final Score: New York Knicks 105, San Antonio Spurs 104
Quarter-by-Quarter:
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| SAS | 34 | 18 | 23 | 29 | 104 |
| NYK | 25 | 31 | 28 | 21 | 105 |
Top Scorers - Spurs: Victor Wembanyama 29 pts / 9 reb / 4 blk (52.4% FG), De'Aaron Fox 20 pts (8-12 FG), Dylan Harper 15 pts
Top Scorers - Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns 21 pts / 13 reb (66.7% FG), Mikal Bridges 20 pts (8-13 FG, 4 threes, 6 ast), Jalen Brunson 20 pts
Key Moments and Analysis: This was the heart breaker. San Antonio came out firing with a 34-25 first quarter, as though they were set to take back their home floor. Wembanyama was sensational (52.4% shooting, 4 blocked shots, 29 points) and Fox finally got the big time (20 points on 66.6%). In the last lap, Wembanyama hit a go-ahead shot to give San Antonio the lead in the game. As he did all season, Jalen Brunson rose to the occasion with a clutch three-pointer to tie the game. In the final measure, Wembanyama had a clear shot from the right side of the ball for the title match victory, and his shot knocked it off.
Mikal Bridges was another surprise hero (8-13 from the field, four 3-pointers, 6 assists) and New York's bench again out-produced San Antonio's 27-19. The one-point loss might be more of a psychological blow than the 10-point Game 1 defeat — as it reveals the Spurs were just down the floor and not able to do it on their own. That memory is a burden when going to MSG.
Biggest Turning Point: Wembanyama's elbow jumper missed in the last seconds. The series may be completely different at this stage.
The Spurs Have the Chance to Win Because:
Reasons the Knicks Are Still Heavily Favored:
| Stat | 2025-26 Season | 2026 Playoffs | Game 1 | Game 2 |
| Points | ~30.5 PPG | ~27.4 PPG | 26 | 29 |
| Rebounds | ~11.2 RPG | ~10.8 RPG | 12 | 9 |
| Blocks | ~3.6 BPG | ~3.1 BPG | 3 | 4 |
| FG% | ~52% | ~49% | 28.6% | 52.4% |
| Turnovers | ~3.2 | ~3.5 | 6 | 4 |
Wembanyama is why this series isn't already a done deal. In game 2, he was transcendent, 29 points on 52% shooting, four blocks and the shot that gave San Antonio the lead in the final minute. Having to get his turnovers right (6 in Game 1, 4 in Game 2) is the only area that needs to get better. There is no giveaway that isn't a fast-break opportunity for a Knicks team that leads the league in transition scoring. If Wembanyama can fire 35 points and grab at least 12 boards while keeping his turnovers below two in Game 3, then San Antonio will have a shot to take the road game.
Other Spurs' contributors: De'Aaron Fox was the largest swing between the two contests as he was 3-13 in Game 1 (7 points) and 8-12 in Game 2 (20 points). The Knicks' backcourt is in a big predicament if the real Fox shows up at MSG. Stephon Castle (17 pts G1, 14 pts G2) is always reliable as a point maker and Devin Vassell (14 pts, 3-7 from three in G2) is a good way to get some room to get Wembanyama back to the post and into the game.
| Stat | 2025-26 Season | 2026 Playoffs | Game 1 | Game 2 |
| Points | ~24.8 PPG | ~22.1 PPG | 18 | 21 |
| Rebounds | ~10.9 RPG | ~10.4 RPG | 12 | 13 |
| Assists | ~3.6 APG | ~3.8 APG | 4 | 4 |
| FG% | ~51% | ~54% | 46.7% | 66.7% |
| True Shooting % | ~61% | ~63% | 53.7% | 81.5% |
KAT's 66.7% shooting and Game 2 double-double of 21 points, 13 rebounds was the stat story of the series. He knows how to pick up the ball when he needs to, draw fouls on any smaller player that crosses onto him, and get to the ball from mid-range when necessary, and it's added some interior dimension New York has not found the solution to across both games. The Spurs' front office, which didn't plan for the relentless mismatch that Towns has created in two games, will get its answer.
Other contributors to the Knicks: Jalen Brunson is the closer at full stop. He went 38-75 from the field in his 30-point Game 1, a testament to his maturity, and then finished Game 2 with the clutch shot that helped tie the game, which is precisely why New York's on the ball in the final seconds. Mikal Bridges (8-13, four threes in Game 2) is emerging as an X-factor in the series and has transformed the Knicks into nearly an unguardable team when he is on the perimeter. Josh Hart's Game 1 scoring 4-steal with 15 rebounds is a reminder that this Knicks team isn't lacking in excitement on the defensive end either, and the Spurs can't keep pace on the ball.
| Matchup | Spurs | Knicks | Edge |
| Star Anchor | Wembanyama (27.5 pts / 10.5 reb) | KAT (19.5 pts / 12.5 reb) | Wemby — slight |
| Point Guard | Fox / Castle combo | Brunson (25 pts, clutch closer) | Knicks — Brunson |
| Wing Scorer | Vassell (14 pts G2) | Bridges (20 pts G2, 66.7% from 3) | Knicks — Bridges |
| Bench Depth | 19-20 pts per game | 27-28 pts per game | Knicks — clear |
| Defense / Hustle | Wemby's 3-4 blocks per game | Hart + Anunoby collective | Knicks — collective |
| Ball Security | 13-16 turnovers per game | 9-15 turnovers per game | Must improve: SAS |
| Category | Spurs | Knicks | Edge |
| Points Per Game | 99.5 | 105.0 | NYK +5.5 |
| FG Percentage | 41.7% | 41.6% | Even |
| Three-Point % | 31.8% | 35.1% | NYK |
| Free Throw % | 75.2% | 82.6% | NYK |
| Rebounds (avg) | 56.5 | 57.0 | Even |
| Assists Per Game | 19.0 | 24.5 | NYK |
| Turnovers Per Game | 14.5 | 12.0 | NYK |
| Bench Points | 19.5 | 27.5 | NYK +8 |
| Points in Paint | 45.0 | 44.0 | Even |
| Offensive Rating | 99.5 | 102.9 | NYK |
| Defensive Rating | 102.9 | 99.5 | NYK |
The numbers back up what the eye test indicates: New York is the better team in this series almost without a doubt in every meaningful category. They do not have such big margins in the assists, bench scoring, free throw shooting and ball security by accident — they are the result of a team that is experienced and playing at an elite level during the playoffs. Wembanyama has a ton of individual brilliance that San Antonio has, but that is not going to be enough to carry an entire series.
| Market | San Antonio Spurs | New York Knicks |
| Game 3 Moneyline | +114 | -135 |
| Game 3 Point Spread | +2.5 (-115) | -2.5 (-105) |
| Over/Under | 216.5 (-110) | 216.5 (-110) |
| Series Winner | ~+350 | ~-450 |
The New York Knicks are 2.5-point favorites to win Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Monday night at Madison Square Garden with the total pegged at 216.5 points. It's actually a fairly close contest, despite the 2-0 series lead, which suggests there's still a bit of respect left in Wembanyama and that Game 2 was a margin call. The home side is a big favorite against the sharper books like Circa Sports, which haven't moved on the Knicks at all, despite the heavy backing from bettors, which VSiN notes is a short favorite.
| Outcome | Series Win Probability |
| New York Knicks | ~65-70% |
| San Antonio Spurs | ~30-35% |
The Spurs (adjusting up from their historical 0-2 record to the game 2 one-point lead), and with a very high ceiling given Wembanyama, we calculate the Spurs have about a 30-35% chance of winning the 2026 NBA Finals. Comprehensible higher than the raw historical base rate, but still they're the favored Knights. The Knicks are currently quoted at about -450 for the series, meaning that the average person would have a 70-75% chance of winning if they got on the money.
Moneyline: Lean Spurs +114
The SportsLine Projection Model also projects Wembanyama to be the top scorer for the Spurs (27.7) and a total of four players from the Knicks to score at least 15 points. The Spurs have some real value at +114, with the team losing Game 2 by one point. This is a moderate-risk, moderate-reward play that's ideal for those who are comfortable with playing on the quiet side. Risk level: Medium. Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Point Spread: Spurs +2.5 (-115)
New York is 5-2 ATS in the playoffs and 28-15 ATS this year as a favorite which is not a consistent small spread performer in big games. In the Finals, the Spurs are down 11 points overall (10-1). San Antonio is a very convincing value for buying +2.5. Confidence: ★★★★☆
Over/Under: Under 216.5 - Best Bet of the Card
The Under has been the winning team in their last three meetings against the Owls. The model finds that the teams will average 214 points together, Under will hit in 53.1% of simulations. The two defenses and the fact that no team will control the fourth quarter will help to keep scoring down. This is our first best shot. Confidence: ★★★★★
Player Props Worth Watching:
Game 3 Winner Prediction: New York Knicks
The Knicks' strengths – bench depth, free throw shooting, ball security, home court – should be sufficient to take Game 3 and get to the point of the big game. But Wembanyama will be guaranteed a big game anyway and it's the fourth quarter that will likely be determined by one or two possessions. In those moments Brunson has gotten the benefit of the doubt.
Predicted Final Score: NYK 111 - SAS 107
| Bet | Pick | Confidence |
| Game 3 Winner | New York Knicks | ★★★★☆ |
| Spread | Spurs +2.5 | ★★★★☆ |
| Over/Under | Under 216.5 | ★★★★★ |
| Best Single Bet | Under 216.5 | ★★★★★ |
| Series Prediction | Knicks 4-1 (NBA Champions) | ★★★★☆ |
This series is already one for the ages for casual fans. After 50 years of heartbreak, New York, home to the biggest market in America, is on the precipice of its first championship. It's more than basketball for a whole city when you see Brunson, Towns and Bridges all together.
The series action is a true opportunity to build layers for serious wagerers. The Spurs are at +350 and have good value for the fade-hawk.The Knicks are around the -450 mark and have a value for the fader. Angels will remain available game by game and if the Spurs manage to take Game 3 at MSG, then the rest of the market resets overnight.
This series has implications beyond just the championships. If the Knicks win their title, they would have fulfilled one of the most emotional playoff runs in recent NBA history, taking a 3-seed to the Eastern Conference Finals and sweeping Cleveland, with the addition of the two road games of the Western Conference's top team. The Spurs would enjoy a comeback and solidify Wembanyama's legacy right off the bat, and make San Antonio the most unlikely modern-day Finals recovery team.
If San Antonio does win Game 3, potential Game 4 scenario: it's now a coin flip. The market would move towards about -200 Knicks and the onus of the psychological burden would be given to New York. Don't overlook this as an option.
The NBA Finals 2026 is at a crossroads and the path leads through Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have done something very special on San Antonio's court, winning both games, and all of the statistics and history suggest they will do it without drama. KAT is a comeback team. Brunson has faced every challenge, and he's overcome it all. With Bridges now entering the game with a ways to go as a go-to scorer, New York has three weapons that San Antonio will have trouble stopping.
But that's not the end of it for the Spurs. Wembanyama is the most roundly developed big man the league has produced in a generation, and his game could get better. In Game 2, the game didn't collapse, it just ended with a buzzer beater missed. This group is well aware of the ability to play here.
Series prediction: Knicks will win 4-1, picking up their first NBA crown since 1973 and one of the most poignant playoff runs in recent history. Then, the Spurs have some real value at the +114 mark and the Under 216.5 is our best bet in the series outside of Game 3.Play every game, every line and every player prop on OKBet - the Philippines' most popular sports betting website. Play responsibly, play within your means and savor one of the best of the decade NBA Finals matchups.
Yes, but just three times in history – the Boston Celtics in 1969, the Miami Heat in 2006 and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. It happens approximately 5-6% of the time, and is one of the least frequent comebacks in pro sports.
The betting markets suggest about 22-25% (Spurs are running around +350 for the series). With one point from Game 2 and a ceiling from Wembanyama, which our model implemented, we believe they have a realistic chance of around 30-35%.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who has combined for 39 points and 25 rebounds in the two games (57% shooting), has been the statistical leader. Victor Wembanyama is the most individual standout player of the game (55 points, 21 rebounds, 7 blocks). Brunson's clutch moments in both games makes him the stand out face of the series.
The total is 216.5 with the Knicks as the 2.5-point favorite for Game 3. Moneyline: Knicks -135, Spurs +114. The Knicks are approximately -450 and the Spurs are around +350.
The Under is the best bet on the day with the historical matchup as well as both teams' defensive instincts. With both matches so close, it's been a very good pick for the spread bettors with Spurs +2.5.
Enormous. The Knicks already have both road victories and that's a lot of psychological pressure on MSG. When New York plays at home during the regular season, they're 30-10.New York is certainly playing with more energy in the way of their building. Looking at the crowd, it's a factor that's one the young Spurs team will never have to deal with at this scale.
In the past, games that are in a 2-0 series position are frequently won about 80-85% of the time. The Knicks are expected to wrap this up in four or five games. The Spurs still have Game 3 coming, though, and if they can beat the Lakers in that game, then all bets are off — and San Antonio is back in the game.
Disclaimer: All statistics are from the official NBA play by play data. Odds are provided by OKBet, FanDuel, DraftKings and ESPN as of June 8, 2026 and subject to change. The information contained in this article is for entertainment and informational purposes only. Must be 18+ to bet. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please help yourself or them to your local responsible gambling resources. All rules and regulations of the Philippines must be followed by the participants of Sports Betting Philippines.
