🏀 Match predictions
Home win
San Antonio Spurs
63%
vs
New York Knicks
37%
Game of the Night: Championship on the Line at Frostbank Center
How is nobody talking about what just happened? The Knicks came from 29 points down in Game 4 and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973, with Jalen Brunson posting 36 points and OG Anunoby finishing with 33. Anunoby’s right hand stretched high to softly flick in Brunson’s missed 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining — absolute masterclass in clutch execution.
Now here’s the reality check for tomorrow’s NBA predictions: the Knicks have a 3-1 lead and three chances to win the best-of-seven series, starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio. This is an elimination game — win or the Spurs’ magical season ends on their home court. The pressure is genuinely suffocating.
Only one team — Cleveland in 2016 — has recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals. Can Wemby and the young Spurs pull off the impossible? Victor Wembanyama finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Game 4, but he’ll regret the two free throws he missed with 1:47 left and San Antonio leading 104-103. Those missed free throws might haunt him forever if they don’t respond tomorrow.
The Spurs broke to a 12-2 lead in Game 4 and extended it to 57-32 when Julian Champagnie’s 3-pointer made them 11 for 16 behind the arc. They had this game completely cooked — then they collapsed. The Knicks limited the Spurs to 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting in the third quarter, using a 13-0 run to get back in it. That’s championship DNA right there. This Knicks squad is different.
Players to Watch
The 7-foot-4 phenom is facing his first real adversity in the Finals. After those brutal missed free throws in Game 4, he needs to show the mental toughness that got San Antonio here.
The engine behind that insane comeback. He’s been absolutely balling and has the Knicks one win away from ending a 53-year title drought. MVP-level stuff right now.
Anunoby provided 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three-point range in Game 4. The game-winning tip still gives me chills. He’s cooking and might steal Finals MVP from Brunson.
Rookie guard Dylan Harper added 21 points, four rebounds, and three assists in Game 4. The kid has been fearless all series — if San Antonio survives, he’s a huge reason why.
Fan Anticipation Check
Frostbank Center will be absolutely electric. This is win-or-go-home basketball, and San Antonio fans know their young core needs to show up or the season ends tonight.
Knicks fans are one win from ending 53 years of pain. They’re ready to party in San Antonio and bring the trophy back to MSG.
Key Issues & Variables
Can the Spurs’ young core mentally recover from the biggest collapse in Finals history? That’s not just about X’s and O’s — it’s about heart.
This NBA preview comes down to one simple question: do the Spurs have another run in them? Victor Wembanyama has his first NBA Finals win under his belt from Game 3, so we know they can beat this Knicks team when they’re locked in. Wembanyama finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals in that Game 3 victory — that version of Wemby is absolutely unstoppable.
But here’s the thing that genuinely frustrates me about San Antonio’s approach in Game 4: Wembanyama said the Spurs’ collapse began before the fourth quarter. They got complacent. You can’t do that against a team like New York. These Knicks erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals — they just don’t quit.
Anunoby has made more 3-pointers (15) than Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson combined (14) in the Finals. If OG stays hot from deep, it’s a wrap.
The win probability data favors San Antonio at home (63% vs 37%), but that feels generous given the context. The Spurs are facing elimination after the most devastating loss imaginable. Can they flip the script? De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each scored 18 points in the Game 4 loss — they need more from their supporting cast if Wemby’s going to have help.
Look, I’ve watched basketball for 20 years, and I’m telling you right now: this game has all the makings of either a desperate, brilliant Spurs performance where they extend the series, or the Knicks putting the dagger in early and celebrating on enemy territory. There’s no in-between tomorrow. This is peak NBA playoff basketball — must-watch stuff for any real hoops fan.
The Brunson-Wembanyama matchup has been fascinating all series. The Knicks went to the Brunson-Wembanyama action consistently as they scored 32 points on their final 18 trips down the floor in Game 4, and the matchup directly led to Anunoby’s game-winning tip-in. That’s smart coaching and execution under pressure. You have to respect that.
San Antonio’s got home court and desperation, but the Knicks just pulled off the biggest Finals comeback ever — that kind of momentum doesn’t just disappear. I’m riding with New York to clinch the title tomorrow night.