Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs face a critical test in Game 3 of the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games to the New York Knicks at home. The Knicks won Game 2 on June 5 by a score of 105-104, extending their series lead to 2-0 and leaving the Spurs needing consecutive victories to stay alive in their first Finals appearance in 12 years.
Johnson, who won the 2026 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, has shifted into a reserve role for the Spurs’ playoff run. The forward made key contributions during San Antonio’s Western Conference Finals victory over Oklahoma City, including eight points in the fourth quarter of Game 7 to help seal the 111-103 win that sent the Spurs to the Finals.
The Spurs’ path back into the series begins in New York on June 8. With the Finals format requiring a team to win four games, San Antonio must avoid falling into a 3-0 deficit—a hole no NBA team has ever escaped in a best-of-seven series. Game 1 saw the Knicks prevail 105-95 on June 3 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
Sources
- ESPN — Game 1 and Game 2 final scores and dates
- Yahoo Sports — NBA Finals 2026 schedule and series information
- San Antonio Express-News — Keldon Johnson’s fourth-quarter performance in Conference Finals Game 7
- Wikipedia — Keldon Johnson’s 2026 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award
