{"id":3279,"date":"2026-06-09T06:04:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T06:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3279"},"modified":"2026-06-09T06:04:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T06:04:39","slug":"spurs-victor-wembanyama-shakes-off-game-2-miss-by-taking-over-game-3-of-the-nba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3279","title":{"rendered":"Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama shakes off Game 2 miss by taking over Game 3 of the NBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks as New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks on during the second half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Victor Wembanyama<\/a> sat in Manhattan\u2019s Gramercy Park on Sunday and drew the statue of 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth.<\/p>

Read more Australia elects to field in 1st one-day cricket international against Bangladesh<\/a><\/p>\n

Turns out, it was the perfect mind-clearing activity that helped him shake off his miss at the buzzer<\/a> in Game 2 and take over Game 3 of the NBA Finals<\/a> , preventing the San Antonio Spurs from getting pushed to the brink of elimination.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really tried to relax,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cThe playoffs is like a whirlwind. It\u2019s hard to put your head out of the water, and sometimes it\u2019s like I don\u2019t even (have) to watch the game back, by the way. I just need a little time off, let my brain cool down and recover \u2014 recover as much for the body as for the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wembanyama made the first two shots he attempted on Monday night on the way to scoring 32 points in a 115-111 victory<\/a> at the New York Knicks. He had nine points in the first five minutes, including an alley-oop on the first basket of the game and a dunk on the next possession<\/p>\n

Coach Mitch Johnson said getting the ball to Wembanyama inside was not a strategy different than any other game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never told Victor don\u2019t shoot an open 3-point shot, even if it\u2019s early in the game,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe wanted to put pressure on the paint and the rim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wembanyama was a force on both ends of the court, especially late when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

After delivering the pass to Keldon Johnson for his layup that tied the score at 76 with 5:38 left in the third, Wembanyama hit a 3-pointer from 29 feet out to put the Spurs ahead. He scored the first basket of what turned into a dominant fourth quarter, including six free throws.<\/p>\n

\u201cWemby played great,\u201d Knicks coach Mike Brown said. \u201cHe had probably seven lob dunks because we didn\u2019t follow attention to detail and try to take that away.\u201d<\/p>

Read more GOP nominee for governor did the unthinkable in Iowa: Attack Big Agriculture<\/a><\/p>\n

With four minutes left and the Knicks looking to stage another comeback, the 7-foot-4 big man from France surged to block what looked to be an easy layup by Landry Shamet.<\/p>\n

Wembanyama finished with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks in what was close to a must-win situation. No team has fallen behind 3-0 in the finals and come back to win the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance and him being on his front foot in terms of being in attack mode,\u201d Mitch Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Teammates were not at all worried about Wembanyama<\/a> in the aftermath of the 22-year-old star clanking a shot off the rim that would have been the Game 2 winner. Johnson said his recommendation was to shoot again and made clear the Spurs want the ball in Wembanyama\u2019s hands at important moments.<\/p>\n

Before the game, Brown said of containing Wembanyama, \u201cYou hope you can make him work at the end of the day, and you hope he misses some shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wembanyama missed seven shots from the floor, going 11 of 18 and silencing the crowd that at one point directed a vulgar chant his way. Asked if he was becoming the latest New York villain, he quipped: \u201cI guess. I\u2019m nowhere near Trae Young level, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could surpass the longtime Atlanta Hawks and now-Washington Wizards guard as soon as Game 4 Wednesday, when Wembanyama gets the chance to help the Spurs try to even the series in Game 4 back at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>

Read more Trump formally nominates Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NBA<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victor Wembanyama shook off his miss at the buzzer in Game 2 by taking over Game 3 of the NBA Finals and preventing the San Antonio Spurs from getting pushed to the brink of elimination<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nSpurs' Victor Wembanyama shakes off Game 2 miss by taking over Game 3 of the NBA Finals - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3279\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spurs' Victor Wembanyama shakes off Game 2 miss by taking over Game 3 of the NBA Finals - 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