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.”
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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)
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — An Se-young is the world's No. 1-ranked female badminton player, and she proved it again on Tuesday.
The South Korean star defeated three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) to take gold at the Asian Games.
An has now swept the board of big titles: Paris Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion, and now two-time Asian Games champion.
An dropped to her knees after winning, did a deep backbend and looked skyward to celebrate.
“It feels like a dream,” she said. “I am so happy and I'm overwhelmed with emotion as I think back to all the hard work I've put in.”
An repeatedly used the entire court to keep Yamaguchi chasing.
“I decided to approach the match with the aim of making my opponent feel rushed and forcing her to move around a lot.”
This is the badminton that's widely popular across Asia — not the one of family picnics and backyard barbecues. It's lightning quick and knitted together by long rallies, chest-first dives and leaping overheads,
An defeated Chen Yufei in the semifinals for her fifth straight victory over her Chinese rival.
An has also stirred things up. After winning in Paris two years ago, she said the national training staff forced her to play through a knee injury. She also said the national team's training methods were outdated.
She threatened to play independently, but backed down from that.
It does not affect play at this level, but the price of shuttlecock has soared recently and forced officials to look for synthetic alternatives.
China is the top producer of shuttlecocks, but poultry production there has decreased in recent years — partly due to bird flu — leading to a shortage or goose or duck feathers to make the traditional shuttlecocks. That's led to a short supply and soaring prices.
The Badminton World Federation earlier this year approved the use of synthetic shuttlecocks in lower-level tournament. Players say the speed and rotation of the synthetic model is different from the traditional equipment.
“This initiative forms part of BWF’s long‑term approach to evaluating synthetic feather shuttlecocks for potential use at the elite level,” the BWF said in a statement earlier this year.
SNTV video journalist Nicky Zhu contributed to this report.
See full AP coverage of Asian sports here
Japan's Akane Yamaguchi plays a return against South Korea's An Se-young during their women's singles badminton final match at the Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
South Korea's An Se-young celebrates after her win against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles badminton final match at the Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
South Korea's An Se-young plays a return against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi during their women's singles badminton final match at the Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
South Korea's An Se-young Japan's plays a return against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi during their women's singles badminton final match at the Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
