NEW YORK (AP) — Knicks coach Mike Brown criticized the officiating in Game 3 of the NBA Finals after the San Antonio Spurs shot 24 free throws in the second half to New York's eight.
“I never thought I’d see that in an NBA Finals game, and I saw it tonight,” Brown said.
The Spurs won 115-111 on Monday night to cut the Knicks' lead in the series to 2-1. It was New York's first loss in 46 days, ending a 13-game postseason winning streak.
Brown credited the Spurs for their performance and listed some things the Knicks did poorly. But he said the officiating made a difference in the game.
“San Antonio is a great team. They are a great team, OK. It’s going to lower our odds big time, big time, if we play Game 4 and in the second half, they get 24 free-throw attempts to our eight. Maybe we were fouling. Maybe we were fouling. But they fouled, too.
“There were a lot of things that we didn’t do that we did in Game 1 and Game 2,” Brown added. “But to go 24 free-throw attempts in the second half, that’s 48 for the game, if you think about the way they called that second half, compared to eight. All the shots we took, we got fouled four times, roughly, for eight free-throw attempts.”
Mikal Bridges had to go to the bench early after picking up two quick fouls and Jalen Brunson had to do the same in the third quarter when he picked up his fourth. The Spurs shot 14 free throws in the third quarter to the Knicks' three.
“There are a lot of things we can do better and we are going to have to do better, but the same breath, like I said, hopefully they will see some more fouls called against them, so it’s not 24-8,” Brown said. “This is a four-point ballgame. Four-point ballgame. One-possession ballgame going down the stretch. It’s tough to overcome.”
The Spurs finished 25 for 32 for the game, while the Knicks were 18 for 22. Told about Brown's comments, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said the referees weren't the problem.
“That didn’t cost us the game,” he said. “Turned the ball over. Didn’t execute. Didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. That’s how you lose a game.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts during Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
ATLANTA (AP) — Brandon Pfaadt allowed only two hits in seven innings in another strong start, Tim Tawa homered in the ninth and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 on Friday night.
Pfaadt (7-1) outdueled Braves ace Chris Sale, striking out seven without a walk. He threw 87 pitches. Since returning to the rotation from Triple-A Reno on June 30, Pfaadt is 7-0 with a 1.16 ERA. He has gone 32 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
Sale (12-8) gave up one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out nine and threw 108 pitches, which tied a season high.
Tawa's solo shot in the inning was his seventh homer of the year. Geraldo Perdomo was 3 for 4 with a run and Corbin Carroll was 2 for 4 for the Diamondbacks.
Rookie left-hander Brandyn Garcia picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth inning.
Arizona scored its only run off Sale thanks to a misplayed ball in the first inning. After a leadoff walk to Perdomo, Carroll hit a line drive to left where Mauricio Dubón started to come in, then reached up and couldn't come up with the ball. It was ruled a double, and Perdomo came home on a groundout by Gabriel Moreno.
The Braves had not been shut out since June 27 and were 10-0 in Friday night home games this season.
Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte left in the second inning with left knee soreness.
Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (11-4, 2.70) was set to face Braves RHP Grant Holmes (7-4, 3.47 ERA) on Saturday night.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo hits a single in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo runs to first base after hitting a single in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo throws to first base in the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt delivers in the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
