Anunoby’s clutch putback caps off Knicks’ historic turnaround vs Spurs for 3–1 NBA Finals lead

The fans at Madison Square Garden had their hearts dropped after Jalen Brunson missed the game-winning three-pointer.

Yet an unexpected hero in OG Anunoby went guns blazing—tipping in the final basket to conclude the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

With 2.1 ticks left before the final buzzer, Anunoby etched his name in the New York Knicks history books as his putback basket concluded his team’s 29-point comeback to stun the San Antonio Spurs, 107–106, and gain a crucial 3–1 lead in the NBA Finals today at Madison Square Garden, June 11.

Anunoby inbounded the ball to Brunson in the final possession of the game as the All-Star guard missed the could-have-been killer trey, yet the forward blitzed through the ironclad paint defense of the Spurs to steal the victory.

Spurs ace Victor Wembanyama paved the Spurs’ first-half burst, dominating New York going into the third quarter with an 81–52 gap.

Though the Knicks still trailed at the start of the payoff period at 75–95 despite a 13-point blitz, New York’s assail at the rainbow country chipped the lead to 105–104 thanks to a Brunson-Jose Alvarado connivance.

Both squads went neck-and-neck, though Spurs guard Stephon Castle drained two free throws with under a minute remaining to gain the crucial advantage.

Brunson then missed the potential game-winning triple, with Anunoby quickly tipping in the putback basket to seal the deal.

The last time a squad came back from a 3–1 lead deficit in the NBA Finals was when the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers team pulled off a Hail Mary to stun the heavy favorites 73–9 Golden State Warriors (GSW) and seal the Larry O’Brien trophy in the 2016 edition.

With teams that went up 3–1 in the finals winning 37 out of 38 times, San Antonio now aims to defy the odds as they vie to extend the series against the Knicks—one game away from quenching their championship drought since 1983—in Game 5 at their home soil.