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Why De’Aaron Fox Attempted Botched Layup on Spurs’ Final Possession of NBA Finals Game 4

San Antonio was clinging to a one-point lead with 11.1 seconds remaining when the Spurs guard made the fateful decision.
Brigid Kennedy|
De’Aaron Fox’s shot was ultimately blocked by OG Anunoby.
De’Aaron Fox’s shot was ultimately blocked by OG Anunoby. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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San Antonio SpursNew York Knicks

Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals was a movie. No, seriously.

Despite the electric atmosphere at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks looked lifeless for most of the contest and into the fourth quarter. But things started to change with about 8 ½ minutes left, when the orange and blue cut the Spurs’ lead to 15. The deficit continued to shrink after that, and in the end, it was a see-it-to-believe-it tip-in from OG Anunoby that pushed the Knicks over the top and handed them a 107–106 win.

But things did not look so magical from San Antonio’s side of the bench. Because while Anunoby’s playmaking will go down in basketball history, so will De’Aaron Fox’s decision making in the game’s final moments ... and for a much less exciting reason.

With about 15 seconds left on the clock and the Spurs up by one point, Fox deflected a rebound down the court and was free and clear to dribble it out and force a foul. This would have had the dual effect of running some clock and hopefully widening the Spurs’ lead with some free throws in the game’s final moments.

Instead, however, Fox went for the layup only to be blocked by Anunoby. And shortly after, the Spurs guard fouled Jose Alvarado at half court, which meant New York could then inbound the ball with play stopped. Just after that is when Anunoby would tip in the game-winner.

All in all, total nightmare fuel for the veteran guard, whom fans will surely blame for the shocking loss.

On ESPN’s postgame show, Charles Barkley certainly did not mince words when talking through the moment after the fact.

“That was a dumbass play,” Barkley told the Inside the NBA desk. “He did not have to shoot that ball. They could’ve just got fouled. There was no reason for him to shoot that ball.”

To his credit, Fox did answer questions about the gaffe in the locker room after the game, where he very succinctly explained his rationale in the pivotal moment. Turns out, it was pretty much what it looked like.

“I tried to get a layup to get up three. Force them to need a three, and OG made a good block,” he said. “I just thought I’d be able to outrun [Anunoby]. That’s it.”

Overall, Fox put up 18 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes on Wednesday night. But he also had four turnovers, two of which came when he was defended by Anunoby. He shot 2 of 6 in those instances, as well, according to reporter Caitlin Cooper.

So, although he had some big moments and was a key part of the Spurs’ 76-point first half, he also made a pretty consequential bad decision that—and we hate to say it—may have just swung this series. At least there is still Game 5 ... we’ll see how he does then.

Tip-off there is slated for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET back in San Antonio.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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