Key Takeaways
- OG Anunoby scored 33 points and delivered a game-winning tip-in as New York erased a 29-point deficit in NBA Finals Game 4.
- The 107-106 win gave the Knicks a 3-1 series lead and put the franchise one victory away from its first title since 1973.
- NBA players, journalists, and fans flooded social media following the final sequence at Madison Square Garden.
OG Anunoby gave New York Knicks fans a Game 4 finish they will be talking about for years to come.
On Wednesday (June 10) night, the forward helped the Knicks complete the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 at Madison Square Garden. The win gave New York a 3-1 series lead and moved the franchise one victory away from its first championship since 1973.
Anunoby finished with a playoff career-high 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including seven made 3-pointers, along with four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 41 minutes. His final defensive play mattered as much as his final basket. With San Antonio ahead late, De’Aaron Fox attacked the rim before Anunoby blocked his attempt in the closing seconds.
On the next possession, Jalen Brunson missed a deep 3-pointer. Anunoby, who inbounded the ball, crashed toward the rim and tipped in the miss with 1.2 seconds remaining.
“I just went and crashed,” Anunoby explained afterward. “Tried to get a tip-dunk or something. The ball went over my head, so I couldn’t really dunk it. So, I tried to tip it in softly.”
He also pointed to New York’s response after falling behind by nearly 30. “We know it’s a game of runs,” he said. “We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind.”
Social media quickly matched the energy inside the Garden. Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown wrote on X, “OG Anunoby is different.” HuffPost journalist Phil Lewis posted, “OG Anunoby they will write stories about you.” Another X user paired a screenshot from “The Sopranos” with the caption, “Knicks fans to OG Anunoby from now until forever,” showing Christopher Moltisanti saying, “I’d follow you into the gates of hell.”
The reactions kept coming. Andscape's Justin Tinsley wrote, “That will forever be known as The OG Game. He’ll never pay for another thing in that city.” Another added, “They gotta start building that OG statue tonight son, I can’t believe what I am witnessing.” A different user connected his rise to his Toronto roots, posting, “Pascal Siakam last season. OG Anunoby this season. Maybe believe Raptors fans when they tell you how good their guys are.”
Why OG Anunoby's moment hit different
During the regular season, Anunoby averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range. After Game 4, NBA.com moved him to No. 1 on its Finals MVP Ladder and listed his Finals averages at 23.8 points, four rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
His career has been building toward this kind of two-way moment. Anunoby was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2017, helped them win the 2019 NBA championship and later led the league in steals during the 2022-23 season. New York acquired him from Toronto in 2023 in the trade that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors.
After Game 4, Knicks coach Mike Brown said Anunoby may have delivered “the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.” Karl-Anthony Towns called the winning tip “Right hand from God,” while Josh Hart said Anunoby saved him from “a lifetime of regret” after Hart’s own late-game mistakes.
Check out plenty of other reactions below.