The San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 115-111 on Monday night, breaking the home team’s 13-game playoff winning streak in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The matchup at Madison Square Garden made history off the court, as Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Finals game.
Victor Wembanyama led the San Antonio offense with 32 points and eight rebounds to secure the critical road win. The Knicks still maintain a 2-1 series advantage as they attempt to win their first championship since 1973. Game 4 will take place at the Garden on Wednesday night.
Trump viewed the game from a glass-enclosed suite alongside Knicks owner James Dolan and political allies. The president drew loud boos from the Madison Square Garden crowd when the jumbotron showed him saluting during the national anthem. Ahead of the game, sportswriter Shea Serrano publicly encouraged fans to boo the president.
The presidential visit created significant logistical challenges across Manhattan. Strict Secret Service perimeters, street closures, and a rigid no-bag policy caused severe entry delays for attendees and forced the cancellation of the traditional outdoor fan watch party. Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox criticized the heightened security, calling the measures inconvenient.
Inside the arena, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani watched from the standing-room-only section and received a warm reception from the local crowd. Several celebrity critics of the administration, including Spike Lee and Ben Stiller, also attended the event, which marked the first NBA Finals game played at Madison Square Garden in 27 years.