The San Antonio Spurs came into Madison Square Garden with their backs against the wall in Game 3 versus the New York Knicks.
San Antonio faced a 2-0 deficit after two home losses to open the NBA Finals, and the Spurs needed a big spark. The Spurs found a spark with the most assists by a team in the first quarter of an NBA Finals since 2018.
Spurs players tallied 11 assists in the first quarter, which matched the Golden State Warriors‘ mark from the 2018 NBA Finals, per the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow. Golden State also had 13 the year before in the 2017 NBA Finals.
The 2017 Warriors team fell short of winning the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the 2018 Warriors won it all against the Cavs. San Antonio jumped out to a 33-22 lead in the first quarter, but it didn’t hold in the second quarter as the Knicks stormed back.
For the first two games, San Antonio averaged 19 assists per game, less than the Knicks’ 24.5 assists per game.
Spurs Grow Cold in Second Quarter
San Antonio saw the lead slip away in the second quarter as the Knicks closed the half on a 10-1 run for a 64-57 halftime lead.
Spurs guard Stephon Castle had a strong first half with 18 points on 7-9 shooting, and he added three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Star center Victor Wembanyama had a solid first half with 15 points on 6-10 shooting with four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Outside of Castle and Wembanyama, the Spurs didn’t get strong contributions from the supporting cast. That included De’Aron Fox going 2-6 shooting with four points, five assists and two rebounds.
Devin Vassell had six points on 2-2 shooting, and he had two rebounds. Julian Champagnie posted three points on his lone make of the half, and he had two assists.
Dylan Harper led the way off the bench with six points on 3-9 shooting, and he had two rebounds and two assists. Carter Bryan had three points and a block, and Keldon Johnson had two points and a steal.
For the Knicks, OG Anunoby gave the Spurs trouble with 17 points on 5-6 shooting, and he had two rebounds, an assist and a block. Jalen Brunson had a strong half with 15 points on 5-11 shooting, and he had three assists and a rebound.
Josh Hart contributed 13 points on 5-6 shooting, and he had five rebounds and three assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added nine points on 3-4 shooting, and he had four rebounds, an assist and a block.
The Knicks also had bench production as Jordan Clarkson scored five points on 2-2 shooting, and he added a rebound, assist and a steal. Jose Alvarado added four points on 2-3 shooting, and he had a rebound. Mitchell Robinson added a point and a rebound.
Dylan Harper in Good Company
A recent No. 2 pick, Harper has one of the better shooting performances in the finals.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN noted that Harper had the third-most shots at the rim in the finals behind Towns and Wembanyama. Harper improved to 11-14 for the series during the first quarter, the best shooting percentage for the series at the time.
Spurs Make NBA Finals History vs. Knicks in Game 3