Spurs vs. Knicks Live Updates, Scores: What the Madison Square Garden Scene Is Like for NBA Finals Game 3

New York holds a 2–0 series lead as the series shifts to MSG where a raucous crowd is expected, including President Trump. Follow Sports Illustrated for all the sights and sounds of Game 3.

Madison Square Garden is expected to be full for Monday’s NBA Finals Game 3 and security tight with President Trump in attendance. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Will “Knicks in four” go from New York City rallying cry to reality? The Knicks can take one step closer to their first championship in 53 years with a win at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Monday night, though the Spurs will give everything they have to avoid going down 3–0 and giving New York the chance to close out the series at home on Wednesday.

The Knicks are on a remarkable run, having won 13 consecutive games in the playoffs—the second longest streak in NBA history. They’ve also largely dominated their opponents during that run, though both Finals games in San Antonio were close late. The Spurs made things extremely interesting in Game 2, using a quick 14–0 run to overcome a solid New York lead and briefly take the lead on a pair of Victor Wembanyama free throws with under a minute left.

Jalen Brunson would tie the game on the next trip down the floor, and with 10 seconds left in regulation, Wembanyama committed a turnover that will haunt the Spurs if they go on to lose the series, throwing a pass off the back of teammate Stephon Castle, who was not expecting a pass up the floor. Brunson recovered the loose ball, was fouled, and knocked down a free throw for the lead. Wembanyama had a chance to redeem himself with an elbow jumper for the win, but could not knock it down.

Will the Knicks’ run at immortality continue under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, or is a change of venue what the Spurs need to shake the cobwebs and bounce back from a rough start to the series? We’ll find out soon, as Game 3 is set to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Follow along with live updates from Sports Illustrated’s NBA staff, which will be on site at MSG and watching from home, below.

NBA Finals Game 3: Spurs at Knicks live scores, updates, stats

How to watch NBA Finals Game 3 between the Knicks and Spurs

Mike Breen, who calls Knicks games during the regular season, will have his first chance to broadcast an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Monday night’s game will be broadcast by ABC. It is also available for streaming on ESPN’s various digital platforms. Mike Breen is on the call alongside color analysts Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler and sideline reporter Lisa Salters.

The Inside The NBA crew featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and guest Draymond Green will handle pregame duties at 7 p.m. ET and will go live after the game as well. ESPN is also hosting an “All-Access” alternative broadcast led by The Pat McAfee Show, with NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins joining.

Recapping NBA Finals Games 1 and 2

New York has total control of the series entering Game 3, but it didn’t always look that way ... especially early on in Game 1. San Antonio had a hot start to the opening game of the series, and an early knee injury that sent Jalen Brunson to the locker room seemed to spell trouble for the Knicks.

Instead, New York ate into the Spurs’ lead with Brunson sidelined, and once he returned in the second quarter, San Antonio’s early lead had been whittled down to three. The Spurs built another sizable lead in the second half, and went up by as many as 14 midway through the third quarter. But as we’ve seen in this Knicks playoff run, they’re extremely difficult to put away.

Brunson was not efficient throughout Game 1, but hit numerous big shots down the stretch, including a three to give New York the lead late and a midrange jumper to seal the win with 37 seconds left.

Game 2 began in a similar manner, as San Antonio dropped 34 points in the first quarter and opened up an early nine-point lead, though the Knicks quickly closed the game, outscoring the Spurs by 18 in the second and third quarters. In an inverse of Game 1, it was the San Antonio superstar Victor Wembanyama who got things going in the fourth as the Spurs surged back with a 14–0 run, but it wasn’t enough, as his late turnover and missed jumper slammed the door shut on a successful comeback, giving New York a 2–0 series lead and a chance to win the championship at the Garden this week.

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