Sports
Knicks coach hits out on Game 3 free throw disparity
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts during Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
NBA scores today: Spurs vs Knicks – NBA Finals Game 3
NEW YORK — Knicks coach Mike Brown criticized the officiating in Game 3 of the NBA Finals after the San Antonio Spurs shot 24 free throws in the second half to New York’s eight.
“I never thought I’d see that in an NBA Finals game, and I saw it tonight,” Brown said.
The Spurs won 115-111 on Monday night to cut the Knicks’ lead in the series to 2-1. It was New York’s first loss in 46 days, ending a 13-game postseason winning streak.
READ: Knicks fever sweeps New York for Game 3 of NBA Finals vs Spurs
Brown credited the Spurs for their performance and listed some things the Knicks did poorly. But he said the officiating made a difference in the game.
“San Antonio is a great team. They are a great team, OK. It’s going to lower our odds big time, big time, if we play Game 4 and in the second half, they get 24 free-throw attempts to our eight. Maybe we were fouling. Maybe we were fouling. But they fouled, too.
“There were a lot of things that we didn’t do that we did in Game 1 and Game 2,” Brown added. “But to go 24 free-throw attempts in the second half, that’s 48 for the game, if you think about the way they called that second half, compared to eight. All the shots we took, we got fouled four times, roughly, for eight free-throw attempts.”
Mikal Bridges had to go to the bench early after picking up two quick fouls and Jalen Brunson had to do the same in the third quarter when he picked up his fourth. The Spurs shot 14 free throws in the third quarter to the Knicks’ three.
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“There are a lot of things we can do better and we are going to have to do better, but the same breath, like I said, hopefully they will see some more fouls called against them, so it’s not 24-8,” Brown said. “This is a four-point ballgame. Four-point ballgame. One-possession ballgame going down the stretch. It’s tough to overcome.”
The Spurs finished 25 for 32 for the game, while the Knicks were 18 for 22. Told about Brown’s comments, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said the referees weren’t the problem.
“That didn’t cost us the game,” he said. “Turned the ball over. Didn’t execute. Didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. That’s how you lose a game.”
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No NBA team has ever come back from down 3-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series and now the San Antonio Spurs don’t have to try.
For the third straight game, the young Western Conference champions had a lead over the more veteran New York Knicks in the final minutes, but for the first time they were able to close it out, squeezing out a 115-111 win. They will now try to even the series in Game 4 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ at 8:30 p.m. ET).
The Spurs held the Knicks to 7-of-27 shooting in the final frame, which was crucial, given San Antonio shot just 6-of-21 themselves. But Victor Wembanyama was able find a way to score 10 of his game-high 32 points down the stretch, polishing off his best game of the series with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks by going 8-of-9 from the free throw line, including a perfect 6-of-6 in the fourth.
The Spurs needed every made shot as the Knicks pushed the game to the limit with a pair of threes in the final 33 seconds by Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby that cut the lead to two with 9.4 seconds left before Spurs guard Stephon Castle iced it with a pair of free throws.
It was a disappointing end to a magical night for Knicks fans, delirious at the notion of their team playing a Finals game at the Garden with a chance to take a 3-0 lead in their quest to win their first championship since 1973.
Without the added security from Game 3, getting into the Garden should be a little easier for Game 4, but the task of eliminating the Spurs just got a little harder.
Basketball can call a lot of places home. It’s rooted in the fabric of rural Indiana, as captured by the movie Hoosiers, which was inspired by tiny Milan High School’s run to the 1954 state championship. In Europe, Serbia and Lithuania would make a similar claim. The game was invented by a Canadian, James Naismith.
But there’s never been a question of New York City’s bona fides. In 1970, Pete Axthelm wrote The City Game, Basketball from the playground to the Garden, tracing the New York Knicks’ first championship that year, but also how the basketball played on the city’s playgrounds was the sport’s heartbeat. Rick Telander spent a year in the early 1970s writing Heaven is Playground about the street basketball scene in New York. In 1994 Darcy Frey wrote The Last Shot, chronicling a year in the life of the Lincoln High basketball team on Coney Island, which included a teenaged Stephon Marbury. Basketball in New York City is lore.
It’s part of why the Knicks being in the NBA Finals is a big deal; bigger in its own way that it is for other NBA cities. Remember when the Toronto Raptors captured the imagination of Canadian sports fans nationally? Now compress all that passion in one city, and layer on a couple of additional generations of angst. It’s something like that. The excitement around the Knicks playing their first Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999, with their best chance to win their first title since 1973, is real and it’s justified.
The energy was evident even watching the moments before the tip on television. Imagine the things that ESPN commentator Charles Barkley has seen and done during a career spent in the spotlight?
And yet he spoke for a lot of people when he said, “I ain’t gonna lie, I got goosebumps.”
This was Wembanyama’s best game of the Finals, and he pulled it off by returning to the same formula that served him well in posting arguably the best of his career back in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, where he scored 42 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in the Spurs’ double-overtime win over the Thunder.
He had a lot on the line Monday night, fresh off his unforced turnover at the end of Game 2, where he threw a pass off the back of teammate Stephon Castle in the final seconds with the game tied and then fouled Jalen Brunson. That led to the winning points for the Knicks after Wembanyama’s potentially game-winning jumper went long.
In Game 3 Wembanyama came out seemingly determined to make up for it. He scored four times in the first quarter, all at the rim, three times on dunks. It looked so easy. The Spurs jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter and it seemed like Wembanyama and his team were going to have their moment.
The second quarter told a different story. Wembanyama hit a big three and finished one of his impossible lobs, where he catches the pass two feet above the rim and places it in the basket. But the Knicks fought him a lot harder for position in the paint and won that fight more often than not for long stretches. His only shot when the Knicks were surging back early in the second quarter was a fadeaway jumper he missed.
And here is the issue: Part of the fascination around Wembanyama’s profile and trajectory as a potentially all-time great is that he can do something of everything offensively (in addition to his defence). In theory.
But what’s been evident at this level of competition is that Wembanyama doesn’t have the tools to consistently defeat it. He has struggled all series to beat Karl-Anthony Towns off the dribble, something that hasn’t been traditionally difficult for other NBA players. He struggles to hold his position on post ups, which isn’t surprising, given his frame. And while he can shoot the ball well at times, he’s as prone to cold streaks as anyone else, but every time he pulls up for a three or a spinning fadeaway it feels like a win for the defence because he’s not dunking home a lob.
To his credit, and the Spurs’ good fortune, Wembanyama kept pushing. In the guts of the game he caught a pair of lobs that only he could. He fought for an offensive rebound, drew a foul and made both free throws. He drove against Landry Shamet, spun and got fouled, making two more free throws. Wembanyama finished 8-of-13 in the paint, including 7-of-9 from the rim, and added eight more points on free throws. The perimeter looks were accents to the main course — it’s a recipe that Wembanyama should try to repeat in Game 4.
The Knicks’ burly two-way wing has been superb through the playoffs, save for a brief hiccup after a hamstring strain kept him out of a couple of games in the second round. The former Raptor came into Game 3 averaging 19.3 points per game with a True Shooting (capturing efficiency on two-point field goal attempts, three-point field goal attempts and free throws) of 71.5.
Absurd stuff, except the defensive specialist was even better in Game 3. He scored 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting and was his usual self on defence, coming up with crucial plays such as his block on Dylan Harper on a fastbreak lay-up that led to a Knicks runout and a Brunson three, cutting the Spurs lead to five with six minutes left to play. After Brunson it’s hard to deny that Anunoby has been the second-most essential Knick in the playoffs, though Towns would get a lot of votes. But that kind of scoring punch with that kind of efficiency and that kind of defensive versatility is the definition of a championship-level player, and Anunoby is proving he’s clearly that.
If the Spurs end up losing the NBA Finals, they won’t regret how they defended Brunson. The Knicks star came into Game 2 shooting 33.9 per cent from the floor and — while better — was still only 11-of-25 from the floor in Game 3 with three turnovers. As well as Towns has played, he’s only averaging 16.7 points per game for the Finals after his 11-point outing Monday night.
But it seems like every time the Knicks needed an oxygen hit, someone on their bench was ready to deliver. Jordan Clarkson hadn’t scored all series and he came off the bench for 10 points in 13 minutes, including a crucial end-of-shot clock three at the end of the third quarter.
In Game 3, however, the Knicks didn’t get quite enough from their bench or secondary scorers. Shamet, the Game 2 hero, finished with just three points on 1-of-8 shooting. Miles McBride, who had some key buckets in Game 2, was scoreless.
Instead the Spurs got 13 points from Harper off the bench. Luke Kornet had seven, and each of Devin Vessel, Julian Champagnie and De’Aaron Fox cracked double figures. It was just enough.
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Watch: Arjun Tendulkar shines with bat and ball, gets big applause from captain Shivam Dube in dressing room | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Arjun Tendulkar delivered a statement performance in the T20 Mumbai League 2026 and the appreciation he received from captain Shivam Dube afterwards showed just how much the all-round effort meant.Having featured in only one match for Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2026, the son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar emerged as the star for Arcs Andheri on Monday, inspiring a commanding nine-wicket victory over Bandra Blasters at the Wankhede Stadium.A video from the team’s dressing room later captured a heartwarming moment as skipper Dube singled out his players for special praise. He began with Arjun, whose emotional reaction and expressions reflected the significance of the recognition.
Arjun dominates with bat and ball
Arjun first made his mark with the ball, returning impressive figures of 3/11 from three overs, including a maiden, as Bandra Blasters were restricted to 144/9 in 20 overs. Prasoon Singh chipped in with 2/12 while Om Keshkamat (49) and Sagarr Chhabriaa (44) were the principal contributors for the opposition.Chasing 145, Arcs Andheri lost Divyaansh Sksena after his quickfire 26, but Arjun and Musheer Khan ensured there were no further hiccups.The pair stitched together an unbeaten 116-run stand for the second wicket, taking complete control of the contest. Arjun smashed a sparkling 66 not out off just 34 deliveries, while Musheer contributed 54 not out from 38 balls.Their partnership helped Arcs Andheri complete the chase in just 13.5 overs with 37 balls to spare.
Dube highlights team’s ‘backbones’
While praising the players in the dressing room, Dube also acknowledged the contribution of Musheer Khan and Ajay Mishra.“In our team, we have not one but two backbones. They are Ajay Mishra and Musheer Khan,” Dube said.He also applauded Divyaansh Sksena for providing an excellent start and termed Musheer’s innings a “special knock”.The emphatic victory came as a timely response for Arcs Andheri after they had squandered a winning position against Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs on Sunday and suffered a heartbreaking seven-run defeat.
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3rd ODI: Rain plays spoilsport as Sri Lanka clinch series 1-0 to end 13-year Caribbean drought | Cricket News
Sri Lanka secured the ODI series against West Indies after the third and final match was abandoned because of rain, just like the second game. Persistent wet conditions meant officials called off the match without a ball being bowled, handing Sri Lanka a 1-0 series victory.The visitors had already taken control of the series by winning the opening ODI by 41 runs, their first one-day international victory in the Caribbean in 13 years. With the next two matches washed out, that result proved enough to seal the series.Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis was pleased with the team’s performance, especially in the only completed match of the series. He felt the side had delivered in all areas and was encouraged by the result ahead of next year’s World Cup.“We’re very happy to win the series,” Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis said. “We did really well in that one game in all three departments. There’s not a lot of matches ahead of next year’s World Cup and I’m happy with my first series victory as captain.”The triumph also marked the first series win for Sri Lanka under new head coach Gary Kirsten, the former South Africa star.
Rain frustrates West Indies
West Indies captain Shai Hope acknowledged that weather played a major role in the outcome but credited Sri Lanka for making the most of their opportunity in the opening game.“You can’t control mother nature,” West Indies captain Shai Hope said. “Credit must be given to the Sri Lankan team for the way they played in the first game.”Although the ODI series ended in frustrating fashion, both teams will now shift their focus to the T20I leg of the tour. The first of three Twenty20 internationals is scheduled to take place in Kingston on Thursday.
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It hasn’t exactly been the easiest start to the 2026 WNBA season for the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark.
After Clark missed most of 2025, expectations were high that she would return to her rookie season form for 2026. But after a strong start, it’s been undeniably an unusually shaky and inconsistent run of production for the 24-year-old superstar.
She put up more than 20 points in five straight games to the start the year, but failed to reach that level in four straight afterward.
Despite a strong performance against the Golden State Valkyries, putting up 22 points along with nine assists and 44% shooting from 3-point range, Clark’s struggled to maintain that momentum. She had five turnovers in the rematch with the Valkyries, then just six points against the Portland Fire on May 30.
CAITLIN CLARK HELD TO JUST SIX POINTS IN FEVER’S BRUTAL BLOWOUT LOSS TO FIRE
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark plays at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 6, 2026. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)
Saturday’s loss to the New York Liberty was a microcosm of Clark’s play thus far. Just 10 points on 28.6% from the field, 33.3% from three, three turnovers and five fouls. Though in a sign of her ability to contribute even when not at her best, she did add nine assists and seven rebounds.
Entering Monday, she was just 14 for 50 from the floor in the Fever’s most recent games. More surprisingly, she was just 6 of 22 on 3-point attempts.
With the Fever just 5-5, Monday night’s game against the Washington Mystics was an important opportunity to get back on track. And that’s exactly what she did.
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Clark started out strong, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, going 2-5 from three. Coach Stephanie White left her on the bench for much of the second quarter, however, playing under 4 minutes total. Though she still found a way to impress with an incredible pass to find Myisha Hines-Allen for a layup.
In the second half, however, she showed off some more of her trademark shooting. With seven minutes left in the third, Clark made a 25-foot jump shot, all while Cassandre Prosper interfered with her ability to land. The foul was deemed not to be flagrant, and Clark completed the rare four-point play.
Despite the Fever opening up a sizable lead at that point, the Mystics battled back, whittling it down to just two points halfway through the fourth and one point with a minute remaining. Thanks to a loose ball foul, the Mystics took a one-point lead. But Clark drew contact in the lane, giving herself two free throws to give the Fever back the lead. She missed both.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark looks on against the Washington Mystics during the first quarter at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2026. (Rafael Suanes/Imagn Images)
But again, even while something is just a bit off with her shooting, she found a way to contribute. After a Mystics’ turnover, Clark found Aliyah Boston with a beautiful half court pass to make it 75-74 Fever.
The Mystics came right back, taking the lead 76-75 after a late foul. But then, the dagger. Sophie Cunningham threw a long, cross court pass to Clark on an in bounds play, and she buried a 31-footer to give the Fever the win, 78-76.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after making a three-point basket against the Washington Mystics during the first quarter at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2026. (Rafael Suanes/Imagn Images)
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After the run of questionable performances, Monday was much closer to a return to form for Clark. 19 points on 7-16 shooting, 4 of 10 from 3, five assists and a steal. Including the incredible game winner.
With the win, the Fever improved to 6-5 ahead of their next game on Thursday against the Chicago Sky.
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Victor Wembanyama’s aggression on the court was once again called into question as the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks played Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
During the first half, Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson was trying to guard Wembanyama near the free throw line when the 7-foot-4 center put his hand on the back of Brunson’s head and shoved him to the court.
However, Wembanyama was never called for the foul and play continued with the Knicks in possession of the ball.
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Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks works against Dylan Harper and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Brunson immediately got into Wembanyama’s face, and it appeared the Frenchman was smiling before the point guard got back to business.
The incident was similar to one that occurred in Game 2’s win for the Knicks on the road, when Brunson’s backup, Jose Alvarado, went to box out Wembanyama. Alvarado, who has comparable stature to Brunson, was wrapped up by Wembanyama and thrown away from the play.
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Once again, no foul call was made.
The Spurs are known for their physicality, but many believed that Wemby should’ve been called for fouls in these cases.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoots a three-point basket over Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of Game Three in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
San Antonio started this game red-hot, owning an 11-point lead after the first quarter, 33-22. But these Knicks have consistently shown their ability to come back no matter the deficit.
After a second quarter run, the Knicks ended the locker room with a seven-point lead at halftime.
Brunson was a main reason why that was the case, going 5-of-11 from the field for 15 points with three assists and one rebound.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts as San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama looks on during the second quarter of game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 8, 2026. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
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As for Wembanyama, he was an efficient 6-of-10 from the field for 15 points of his own, while hauling in four rebounds and dishing out three assists.
The Spurs are trying to avoid a brutal 3-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series, while the Knicks are hoping they can keep momentum in the second half to have the chance at a sweep in their own building on Wednesday night in Game 4.
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The home team in the NBA Finals remained winless in their building, as the San Antonio Spurs took Game 3, 115-11, in much-needed fashion on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
New York still owns the lead, 2-1, in the series, but the Spurs closed out thanks to tremendous defense, timely buckets, and forcing the Knicks to go 2-of-12 from three-point territory in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Knicks’ 13-game playoff win streak has been snapped.
Victor Wembanyama, who had a chance to win Game 2 but missed his final shot, finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the Spurs.
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Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
But it was Wembanyama’s teammates, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle putting in clutch baskets, to help the winning efforts.
The Spurs came out with a clear determination to set the tone on the road, and it’s what all basketball fans should’ve expected considering where the series stood at tip-off. San Antonio owned an 11-point lead after the first quarter, as Wembanyama scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Castle was a perfect 3-of-3 for seven points.
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But if there’s anything we’ve learned about the Knicks, they will mount a comeback no matter the deficit. And it happened again before the end of the half.
New York started to get their rhythm, using the sold-out home crowd at Madison Square Garden to their advantage. They closed out the half with a seven-point lead, 64-57, as OG Anunoby dropped 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including two made threes and five free throws made.
Jalen Brunson also poured in 15 points, while Josh Hart, left wide open on purpose by the Spurs, was hitting his three pointers for 13 points.
The Knicks had all the momentum heading into the second half, but the Spurs started similarly to the beginning of this game. They forced turnovers and capitalized, erasing their seven-point deficit almost immediately.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks works against Dylan Harper and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Both teams traded buckets, with San Antonio taking a one-point lead into the fourth quarter that was bound to be a heavyweight bout at “The Mecca.”
This time, though, the Spurs were finally able to hang on to their fourth-quarter lead, as the Knicks quickly got into foul trouble and allowed San Antonio to get into the bonus right away. It was Wembanyama taking advantage of those, while the Knicks were cold to start the quarter.
San Antonio got the lead up to eight in the fourth quarter with 4:50 left to play after Wembanyama knocked in two more free throws, and that was leading to some key defensive plays for the Spurs. The epitome of that was the Knicks trying to move the ball around for a three-point attempt, swinging it along the arc. But the Spurs continued to close out, all to end with Wembanyama swatting away Landry Shamet’s layup attempt.
The first clutch basket that the Spurs hit came from Castle with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter. San Antonio owned just a four-point lead and Wembanyama past the ball up with mere seconds left on the shot clock. With a good contest from the Knicks in Castle’s face, he buried a deep three-point on the wing to get the lead back to seven in a moment where the Knicks had momentum.
Then, after Brunson drained the Knicks’ first three-pointer of the quarter to cut the deficit to three, Fox drained a 15-foot stepback jumper that seemed like a dagger with 12.2 left in the game.
Anunoby, who finished with 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting, kept the Knicks’ hopes alive with a three of his own following a timeout to cut it to two with 9.4 left. But Castle buried both free throws in a much-needed situation to close the door on New York.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks defends Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of Game 3 in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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In the end, Castle finished with 23 point of 8-of-14 shooting with five rebounds and five assists, while every Spurs starter finished the game with double-digit points. Dylan Harper, who has played tremendous bench minutes for San Antonio, also scored 13 on 18 shot attempts.
For the Knicks, one stat line that stands out is Shamet’s 1-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-7 from three-point land where he has thrived all throughout these playoffs.
The Spurs pulled off the win with President Donald Trump in attendance. He was seated with Knicks owner James Dolan in a suite. The president’s presence led to heightened security around the arena throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals will tip off from Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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Coming into the NBA Finals, it was fair to assume the San Antonio Spurs would draw more whistles than the New York Knicks. In the 2025-26 regular season, the Spurs averaged 3.6 more free-throw attempts per game than their opponents, while the Knicks averaged 1.4 fewer than their opponents. New York has improved in the postseason, but San Antonio still has a better free-throw margin, and that has proven out through the first three games.
Despite the extended data, officiating has become one of the stories of these NBA Finals. In the first two games, the Spurs attempted 19 more free throws than the Knicks, excluding attempts taken by Mitchell Robinson upon being intentionally fouled. This discrepancy persisted into Game 3. While the Knicks attempted six more first-half free throws than the Spurs, the visitors had a 24-8 advantage at the charity stripe in the second half.
Knicks coach Mike Brown was not happy. While he acknowledged that his team has plenty to clean up on its own merits, he devoted the first three minutes or so of his post-game press conference to officiating.
“I will say this: 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,” Brown said. “I don’t think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to the free throw attempts. San Antonio is a great team. They are a great team, OK. It’s going to lower our odds big time, big time, if we play Game 4, and in the second half, they get 24 free throw attempts to our eight.
“Maybe we were fouling. Maybe we were fouling. But they fouled, too.”
Brown continued: “[Karl-Anthony Towns] gets the ball off of a loose-ball rebound and he shoots it, and he gets whacked across the arm, and they hit the ball, and it goes out of bounds on the baseline. There’s no foul. There were opportunities for fouls to be called, to at least try to even the free throws out.
“Now, we didn’t play good. San Antonio played great. We could have played better. There was a lot of things that we didn’t do that we did in Game 1 and Game 2. But to go 24 free throw attempts in the second half, that’s 48 for the game if you think about the way they called that second half, compared to eight. All the shots we took, we got fouled four times, roughly, for eight free throw attempts.
“Again, I don’t complain much. I never thought I’d see that in an NBA Finals game, and I saw it tonight. That’s tough to overcome when you’re playing against a great team. Having said that, again, San Antonio won the game. I’m giving their head coach and their players a lot of credit. [Victor Wembanyama] played great. Stephon Castle played great. I could go down the line. [De’Aaron] Fox hit a big shot late. But as a team, if you take away the fouls and the free throws that should have, in my opinion, been a little bit more even, again maybe we fouled that many times but they fouled, too. And it’s not shown at the end of the day on this box score.”
Free-throw margin in 2026 NBA Finals
Excluding intentional fouls on Mitchell Robinson
|
Game 1 |
25 |
18 |
Spurs +7 |
|
Game 2 |
27 |
15 |
Spurs +12 |
|
Game 3 |
32 |
22 |
Spurs +10 |
The specific play Brown mentioned involving KAT could refer to one of two shot attempts that came on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter. With less than 3 minutes remaining, Towns picks up a loose ball off a Jalen Brunson shot that was blocked, but gets blocked out of bounds himself when he tries to score on a layup. When the Knicks next inbound the ball, Towns is again blocked at the rim and is visibly upset by the lack of whistle.
Though Brown did not directly reference it, there has been quite a bit of frustration among Knicks fans about what seems to be a different level of physicality the Spurs have been allowed to play with. Most notably, Wembanyama appears to have gotten away with several plays that should have been whistled for fouls … and possibly reviewed as flagrants.
On this Game 2 box out of Jose Alvarado, for instance, Wemby seemingly gets both arms around Alvarado’s neck before attempting to toss him out of the way. There was no whistle.
And then, early in Game 3, Wembanyama got away with this strong shove to the head of Brunson.
Brunson has taken the brunt of San Antonio’s aggressive physicality. Take this play from Game 3. While pursuing a rebound, Brunson attempted to box out Castle, but Castle stuck out his elbow and ran straight through him. He was whistled for a foul, but upon review, it was only considered a common foul, not a flagrant.
As Brown noted, there was physicality on both sides. Still, there has been a feeling throughout the NBA Finals that the officials have been far quicker to whistle the Knicks than the Spurs.
Take this from Game 2 when Robinson was whistled for this soft technical foul that was later rescinded by the NBA. Remember: Game 2 was decided by a single point. There were entirely plausible scenarios in which that whistle could have swung the outcome, and undoing the call in the history books would not have changed the game’s outcome.
Knicks players, to their credit, did not add fuel to the officiating fire. When asked about the shove from Wembanyama, Brunson merely replied, “Whatever you saw is what you saw.” When Towns was asked about the officiating, he left no doubt about his own stance. “That ain’t cost us the game,” he said.
The NBA releases a last 2-minute report on calls made late in close games, but otherwise, it only addresses calls made in the rest of the game if a flagrant or technical foul is retroactively applied or removed. NBA teams frequently send videos to the league office about calls they believe were missed or incorrectly officiated.
The Knicks will almost certainly do so after Game 3. The numbers suggested the Spurs would draw more free throws in this series than the Knicks, but at least in Brown’s mind, that margin got out of hand in the second half of Game 3.
The Athletics introduced themselves to their new home in one of the most epic games in baseball this season.
Unfortunately for fans in Las Vegas, the home team came out on the losing end.
The A’s lost 15-14 in a 12-inning instant classic to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the triple-A Las Vegas Aviators.
The 29 combined runs were the most in an MLB game this season, as were the 11 home runs.
The A’s led 8-3 after three innings and 10-7 after 7 but the Brewers forced extras with a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth. In the 10th inning, Milwaukee scored four times — including a three-run homer from William Contreras — and appeared to be in control but back-to-back home runs from Nick Kurtz and a pinch-hitting Jonah Heim tied the game at 14.
The Brewers ultimately scratched another run across in the 12th inning and held on for the win.
The game was the first of six games for the A’s this week in Vegas, three against the Brewers, followed by three against the Rockies. The A’s are expected to move into a new ballpark currently being built on the Las Vegas Strip for the 2028 season.
A Somali referee chosen to officiate at the World Cup has been denied entry into the United States.
Omar Artan was turned away by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon his arrival at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday.
CBP confirmed on Monday that a Somali national who was planning to referee in the World Cup had been denied entry.
Although the CBP statement on Monday did not explicitly name the individual, Artan is the sole World Cup referee representing Somalia.
“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” CBP said in its statement.
“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”
CBP noted that all travelers seeking entry into the U.S. — including athletes, coaches and staff — are subject to CBP inspection and vetting.
“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” the CBP statement said.
“CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with U.S. law.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s World Cup team arrived in Mexico this weekend wearing lapel pins that paid tribute to the victims of a deadly missile strike on an elementary school at the start of the war with the United States and Israel.
The gold-colored pins, worn by players on their jackets upon arrival in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday, bore the number “168.”
The number refers to the victims, predominantly children, who were killed in a February 28 strike on a school in Minab, southern Iran, an attack widely attributed to the U.S.
Iran’s embassy in Hungary on Monday acknowledged the pins in a social media post, specifically referencing Minab.
The gesture follows a similar tribute by the team in March, prior to a warmup game in Antalya, Turkey. On that occasion, players displayed pink and purple school backpacks during their national anthem, drawing attention to the same incident.
Jun 3, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Max Meyer (23) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images The Miami Marlins have won five of their past six games. It’s their best stretch since going 5-1 to start the season.
After their initial 5-1 run, the Marlins dropped four of the next five. They hope to fare far better when they open a three-game series Tuesday night against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
Miami is 20-16 at home as compared to Arizona’s 13-17 road mark. The Diamondbacks have lost seven of their last 10 overall.
All of that should give the Marlins some confidence, especially after they just took two of three games against the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Miami’s pitching staff should be in good shape because the bullpen was needed for just two innings on Sunday before Monday’s day of rest.
The starter will be right-hander Max Meyer (6-0, 2.81 ERA), Miami’s first-round pick (third overall) in 2020. Meyer missed all of 2023 due to elbow surgery, but the 27-year-old finally is enjoying a breakthrough season. He owns a 1.045 WHIP and throws 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Marlins are 9-4 this year when starting Meyer, who is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his only appearance against Arizona.
As for the team as a whole, the metrics show the Marlins are better on the mound (ninth in the majors in WHIP) than they are in the batter’s box (21st in OPS).
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough believes his team needs to scrap to win.
“That’s what’s required at this level,” he said. “You need to pitch well, play good defense … Offensively, you’re just looking to find whatever ways to score more runs than the other (team).”
Arizona has been struggling in that regard of late, in part due to an absence of power. The Diamondbacks have hit just 58 homers, which ranks 26th in the majors — one spot ahead of Miami.
In a sign that the Diamondbacks have diagnosed that weakness, they made a move on Sunday by signing outfielder Max Kepler. He hit 18 homers for the Phillies last year, but will be unavailable to Arizona until his MLB suspension ends on June 25. He was dinged for 80 games on Jan. 6 for testing positive for Epitrenbolone.
While Kepler rounds into shape, Arizona comes off a 3-4 homestand that left manager Torey Lovullo with a bland feeling.
“Nothing overly alarming,” he said, “and nothing to get overly excited about.”
The Diamondbacks are just 5-8 when starting right-hander Zac Gallen (3-5, 5.32 ERA), who will get the ball on Tuesday. Arizona has lost six of Gallen’s past eight starts.
Gallen broke into the majors with Miami in 2019, going 1-3 with a 2.72 ERA. On the last day of the 2019 trade deadline, the Marlins sent Gallen to Arizona for Jazz Chisholm Jr. Since then, Gallen has gone 68-54 with a 3.72 ERA in 182 starts with Arizona.
However, he has done some of his finest work against his former team — fashioning a 3-1 record and 2.00 ERA in four starts.
–Field Level Media
At Close of Business podcast June 9 2026
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