Heroes and zeros from the Knicks’ 115-111 Game 3 loss to the Spurs in the NBA Finals on Monday night at the Garden:
Hero
Victor Wembanyama started the game with two dunks and didn’t stop attacking. The Knicks couldn’t slow down the 7-foot-4 Frenchman. He torched them for 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting along with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
Zero
Mikal Bridges was invisible Monday night. After his stout Game 2 performance, the two-way wing attempted just four shots, making only one of them. He was also benched for most of the fourth quarter and was tentative upon finally reentering the game.
Unsung hero
Wembanyama needed help from his friends, and he got plenty out of Stephon Castle. The former Connecticut star played a pivotal role in the Spurs’ first win of the Finals. Castle came up clutch, making two key free throws with the San Antonio lead down to two and 6.8 seconds remaining. He finished with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in 38 strong minutes.
Key stat
9: The Knicks missed their first nine 3-pointers of the fourth quarter and went 13-for-37 from distance.
Quote
“I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight.”
— Knicks coach Mike Brown on the officiating in the second half.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
