An NBA Finals record comeback lifted the New York Knicks to a 3–1 series lead after the San Antonio Spurs blew a 29‑point advantage. Game 5 shifts to the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio as the Spurs face a win-or-go-home situation on Sunday (AEST).
Here’s our preview for the contest!
2026 NBA Finals Game 5 Betting Tips
New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs (Sunday 10:30am AEST)
Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals will go down in history after a remarkable 29-point comeback from the hometown New York Knicks. The Madison Square Garden crowd was silenced as the San Antonio Spurs took an 81-52 lead early in the third quarter. The arena started to get louder in the fourth quarter as the Knicks made their run. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby were instrumental in the comeback as Brunson finished with 36 points and Anunoby scored 33, including the game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining. Karl-Anthony Towns then made a crucial defensive fingertip deflection on the inbounds pass to disrupt Stephon Castle’s potential game-winning lay-up attempt.
The San Antonio Spurs’ confidence must be scarred after such a damning loss. De’Aaron Fox had a horrendous second half, capped off by turnovers, and then the inexplicable decision to take a contested layup with the shot clock turned off. Rather than dribbling back and forcing the Knicks to commit a foul for free throws, Fox drove to the rim and Anunoby blocked the shot. And the rest is history.
Fox shouldn’t shoulder the blame alone. The Spurs rushed their offense, consistently settling for three-point attempts early in the shot clock, despite having a mammoth lead where they could have run the clock down before settling for a shot attempt. They shot 17.6% from deep in the second half and committed far too many turnovers. Castle, Dylan Harper and Fox all had more turnovers than shots made in the second half too.
Looking ahead to Game 5 at home for the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama must set the tone. He finished 9-for-25 from the field in Game 4, often settling for pull-up long-range jumpers. Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson has been a non-factor all series; he simply isn’t scoring like he did in the regular season, and the Knicks can attack him when Johnson is forced to guard Brunson or even Josh Hart.
It has been an incredible series with the last three games decided by less than five points. Two of those have been a single point. The Knicks have shown they are ready for the bright lights, they will always fight when trailing, and considering they are heavy underdogs here, the +5.5 line appeals. They won the first two games in Texas and if they win this one, they will lift up the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Knicks +5.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
