Even as they authored the second-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history, the New York Knicks knew it wouldn’t be easy to win the franchise’s first championship since 1973.

They’ll find out just how arduous the rest of the path might become.

The Knicks will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA finals while the San Antonio Spurs will aim to knot the best-of-seven series when New York hosts San Antonio in Game 4 on Thursday, June 11 (Philippine time).

The Spurs climbed back into the finals, when Victor Wembanyama produced 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks as San Antonio held off the Knicks for a 115-111 win.

The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Knicks, who went 45 days without a defeat following a 109-108 setback against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on April 23.

New York fell two wins shy of matching the 2017 Golden State Warriors, who won their first 15 postseason games en route to the title.

The battle grew increasingly heated.

Wembanyama was not charged with a foul after shoving Jalen Brunson to the floor with a little under five minutes left in the first quarter.

Hart was whistled for a technical with 3:24 left in the first period when he shoved Luke Kornet after Kornet bumped into him following Hart’s coast-to-coast layup. In the third, Brunson’s foul of Julian Champagnie on a three-point attempt was upgraded to a flagrant.

The Knicks also found it difficult to overcome Brunson’s inefficiency and Karl-Anthony Towns’ fourth-quarter struggles.

Towns was scoreless in the final period for the third straight game. He has attempted just six field goals in the fourth quarter in the finals.

Wembanyama thriving inside opened up the most balanced offense of the series for the Spurs, who put five other players in double figures. That included Stephon Castle, who scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half before collecting five of San Antonio’s final seven points of the game. (Field Level Media / Reuters)