Anatomy of a Collapse: Six Moments That Doomed the Spurs vs. Knicks in Game 4 of NBA Finals

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby's tip-in was one of many mistakes the San Antonio Spurs made down the stretch in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Spurs authored an epic collapse in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals, and there were plenty of moments along the way that led them there.

San Antonio led the Knicks by 29 points on two separate occasions, including with 9:40 left in the third quarter. Victor Wembanyama proceeded to make mistake after mistake as New York roared back to win 107–106 and took a 3–1 advantage in the series. A crowd packed to the gills with A-list celebrities watched as the young Spurs came apart at the seams and the Knicks reeled them in over the course of the game’s final 20 minutes.

That collapse didn’t happen all at once. There was a string of bad decisions and silly plays that brought San Antonio to this point. Here’s a look at five moments that doomed the Spurs.

Wembanyama settles on a late third quarter possession

Victor Wembanyama shot some ill-advised threes as the Spurs’ 29-point lead fell apart. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With 2:43 remaining in the third quarter, Mitchell Robinson completed an alley-oop from Jalen Brunson to cut San Antonio’s lead to 87–72. The Knicks were showing life and the Spurs needed to answer back. They didn’t, and that was almost entirely due to poor shot selection.

De’Aaron Fox missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possesison, but Stephon Castle was able to secure an offensive rebound. The ball came to Wembanyama and he opted to hoised a 25-footer that missed. Luckily, Fox grabbed the board and kicked it back to Wembanyama who, again, settled for a long three that missed. Robinson grabbed the board and went the other way.

That possession was emblematic of San Antonio’s mentality as it fell apart. The Spurs stopped doing all the things that were working to get them the lead and instead settled for what was easy. It allowed the Knicks to get the crowd involved and close strong.

Spurs come up empty on key fourth quarter possession

Fast forward to midway through the fourth quarter, when Mikal Bridges made a running layup with 8:44 remaining to again close the gap to 15 points. San Antonio called a timeout with a 95–80 lead. Both teams traded empty possessions, but the Spurs had it back with 8:18 left and a chance to extend the lead. A Jalen Brunson foul extended the possession but didn't help.

The Knicks played solid defense on the possession but San Antonio couldn’t get anything going before Stephon Castle forced a 19-foot step-back jumper as the shot clock expired. It was a chance to take the lead back up to 17 or 18, and instead it was an empty possession. The Knicks outscored the Spurs 8–2 over the next three 1:20 to cut the lead to single digits.

Wemby bricks two late free throws

The Knicks cut the lead to 104–103 thanks to a Brunson three-pointer with 2:21 left. After Josh Hart missed a wide open layup, the Spurs recovered and Wembanyama was fouled by OG Anunoby with 1:47 left. He stepped to the line with a chance to extend the lead out to three points and settle things down a bit. He didn’t.

Wembanyama didn’t just miss the first free throw, he missed both. On the ensuing possession, Brunson made a floater around Castle to give the Knicks their first lead of the game.

JALEN BRUNSON AGAIN.

KNICKS HAVE THEIR FIRST LEAD OF THE GAME 🤯

GET TO ABC NOW. pic.twitter.com/SXzPmA6WbG

— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026

That wouldn’t have been possible if Wembanyama had made his free throws. He was 4-for-7 from the stripe Wednesday night and missed them at the most critical point of the game.

Stephon Castle makes a big mistake

Stephon Castle committed a critical turnover, stepping out of bounds late in the game while being guarded by Josh Hart. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Brunson gave New York the lead with 1:22 remaining and the Spurs had the chance to answer back on the next possession. Castle got the ball in the right corner and drove into Hart, who had good defensive position. It seemed like there were better options available, as Wembanyama was open to his left.

As Castle dribbled, he lowered his shoulder into Hart and drove himself deeper under the basket. There was really nowhere to go but he continued moving forward, possibly attempting to draw a foul. None was forthcoming, and in the process he stepped out of bounds. It was a close call and on replay it’s hard to tell whether he actually touched the line, but the drive was going nowhere, and given that he pushed off, he was lucky not to be called for an offensive foul.

It's very hard to tell from this angle if Castle actually stepped out here pic.twitter.com/GnVeoDTDFS

— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) June 11, 2026

It gave the ball right back to the Knicks who had a 105–104 lead.

De’Aaron Fox misses chance to run out the clock

Castle redeemed himself on San Antonio’s next possession with a stellar offensive rebound on which he was fouled. His two ensuing free throws gave the Spurs a 106–105 lead. The Knicks called a timeout with 30.3 seconds remaining and set up a play to isolate Brunson for a shot. He wound up missing, and the rebound was deflected into the backcourt, where Fox chased it down.

He got to the ball ahead of everyone, collecting the ball with 12.8 seconds left. Rather than opt to dribble the ball out and run clock, he attempted to go for a layup as Anunoby charged toward him. It was an enormous mistake from the veteran point guard. Anuoby rose up and rejected the layup.

OG WHAT A BLOCK pic.twitter.com/Gycn3iSK0F

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) June 11, 2026

Jose Alvarado collected the rebound. Alvarado was eventually fouled with 5.7 seconds left, and the Knicks called timeout to set up the final play.

It was an all-time boneheaded play by Fox.

They didn’t guard the inbounder on Knicks final possession

On the Knicks’ final possession the Spurs opted not to guard the inbounder to have an extra defender floating. That wound up being a massive mistake. Anunoby inbounded the ball to Brunson who was chased both Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. That left Anunoby alone on the wing. As Brunson launched a 30-foot jumper, Anunoby crashed hard to the glass and there was no one in place to stop him.

We all know what happened next. Anunoby skied through the air unobstructed and tipped the ball in to give the Knicks one of the most improbable wins in NBA history.

Watch him on the final play and notice how every Spurs defender leaves him alone:

OG ANUNOBY WITH THE PUTBACK.

KNICKS COMPLETE THE 29-PT COMEBACK FOR THE WIN.

LARGEST COMEBACK IN NBA FINALS HISTORY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZtWVWY6JsR

— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026

Another egregious mistake in a second half full of them for the Spurs. And this one cost them a chance to even the NBA Finals at 2–2. Now, they’ll be playing to keep their title hopes alive on Saturday in Game 5.

---

More NBA Finals From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.