NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� likens home-court advantage to having six players on the court against five. On the road, it is like five on six.
Wemby likes it like that.
Wembanyama and the of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden and are undaunted by the hostile environment and the series deficit they face against the New York Knicks.
鈥淚 like lively crowds, active crowds,鈥� Wembanyama said Tuesday, roughly 13 hours after his 32-point, eight-rebound, six-assist dominance to . 鈥淎t home, it鈥檚 an extra motivation because you want to give the people who support you a good show. On the road, you want to do the opposite.鈥�
Fresh off silencing a sellout crowd of nearly 20,000, San Antonio now gets the chance to even things up in Game 4 on Wednesday night back at the Garden in what could be an even more intense situation as fans try to will their team to the verge of its first championship since 1973.
鈥淲e find a comfort playing on the road, knowing when you鈥檙e in this environment, it鈥檚 us versus them, and obviously everybody in the crowd,鈥� Guard De’Aaron Fox said. 鈥淲hen you know that 鈥� everybody behind you has your back 鈥� it allows you to settle into these games.鈥�
Backcourt mate Stephon Castle said he and the Spurs knew their season was on the line after falling behind 2-0 in the series and credited their connectivity for being 7-3 on the road in these playoffs. If Monday was a must-win game, Wednesday is nearly that because only one of 38 teams to fall behind 3-1 in the finals came back to win it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something you can鈥檛 shy away from, especially with the goals and aspirations that we have,鈥� Castle said. 鈥淛ust focus on the things that matter throughout the game and not really paying too close attention to the crowd. They鈥檙e going to be there regardless, especially cheering on their team. You should want to play in those environments. I feel like that鈥檚 when we play at our best.鈥�
Wembanyama certainly was, shaking off his buzzer-beating miss to turn in a performance fit for the bright spotlight at a place known as the world’s most famous arena. But the 22-year-old big man from France did not do it alone.
Castle, who’s 21, scored 23 points and did not look bothered by the ankle he injured in Game 2 on Friday night. Devin Vassell, who’s 25, and Julian Champagnie, weeks away from his 25th birthday, each hit some big shots and got into double figures. Rookie Dylan Harper, who is 20, scored 13 off the bench.
Fox, who at 28 is among the elder statesmen, points to those young players’ demeanor to explain why they don’t shrink under pressure.
鈥淭hey just don鈥檛 have the personalities that you would think that are just going to be overwhelmed by something,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e feeling on the inside, obviously. What you see out there on the court with them, just when you see it on their faces when New York is going on a run, you don鈥檛 see them panic.鈥�
There does not seem to be any panic in the Spurs, no matter how inexperienced some of their core players are. Coach Mitch Johnson understands why there is so much talk about youth and age, but like Fox he thinks it’s more about the makeup of guys like Wembanyama, Castle and Harper than how many years they’ve been alive and playing basketball.
Perhaps being a little naive helps. Harper said this is the first time he has been booed on the street walking out of a hotel in New York, though it only served to fire him and his teammates up 鈥� and could continue to do so.
“We just stay together in environments like this,鈥� Harper said. 鈥淲hen we come to away games in the playoffs, for us at least, it鈥檚 been just staying together and holding each other accountable. I feel like with the level of desperation and desire that we played with (in Game 3), I feel like we鈥檙e pretty hard to beat when we do that.鈥�
___
AP NBA:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
