NBA Daily Digest: Game 5 Looms as Both Teams Practice in San Antonio, Wemby Still on Suspension Watch

The 2026 NBA Finals are headed back to San Antonio with one team one win from ending a 53-year title drought. The New York Knicks lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-1 after four games, three of which were decided by a single possession. After OG Anunoby's tip-in off a Jalen Brunson miss with 1.2 seconds left completed a 29-point comeback in Game 4 — the largest in Finals history — both teams flew to Texas on Thursday for Friday practice sessions before Game 5 on Saturday, June 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) at the AT&T Center. 1

Teams leading 3-1 in the NBA Finals are 37-1. The only club to come back from that deficit was the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Both sides held Friday practice in San Antonio with injury tracking at the center of pregame attention. 2

Anunoby's hip has been monitored throughout the postseason. Despite his condition, he's averaged 24 points on 58% shooting and 57% from three in the Finals — the production that's made him the leading Finals MVP candidate in the eyes of ESPN's Tim Bontemps, who projected him as MVP with a series-closing Game 5 win. 3

Hart's knee has been listed as questionable since the conference finals. Despite the injury, he delivered a critical 13-rebound effort in Game 4 — the kind of production that led analyst Wally Szczerbiak to call him "maybe the best rebounder ever under 6'6" in the NBA." Hart himself was characteristically blunt after the comeback: "Special shoutout for OG, man, because he saved me, at least for this game, a lifetime of regret." 2

For San Antonio: No new injuries reported heading into Game 5. Victor Wembanyama (C, Spurs) carries three flagrant-foul points — one away from an automatic one-game suspension. The NBA declined to add a retroactive flagrant for his Game 3 shove of Jalen Brunson, a call the league had already publicly admitted was missed on the floor. He received a flagrant-2 for elbowing Karl-Anthony Towns in the throat during Game 4, bringing his total to three. 4

Mike Brown (Knicks head coach) emphasized the need to maintain focus after the biggest win in franchise history:

Brown also addressed owner James Dolan's pregame prediction that the Knicks would win Game 4 and the series. "He owns the team. He can say whatever he wants to say. Maybe he feels something, I don't know. But I'm 100 percent OK with him saying whatever he feels like he needs to say."

Mitch Johnson (Spurs head coach) struck a defiant tone:

Johnson's point has statistical merit. The Spurs have led by double digits in all four games. In Game 4 they held a 29-point lead and still lost by one. Stephon Castle (G, Spurs) echoed his coach: the team has "pretty much dictated the winner and loser of all these games" and needs to show better mental resolve while leading. 1

Since Game 4, Anunoby has dominated the MVP conversation. ESPN's Zach Lowe put it plainly: Anunoby is averaging 24 points per game in the Finals on 58% shooting and 57% from three, compared to Brunson's 29.5 but with seven fewer assists per game. "Despite averaging five and a half points less than Jalen Brunson ... I think the Finals MVP right now would be OG Anunoby with a bullet," Lowe said. 2

Karl-Anthony Towns (C/PF, Knicks) compared Anunoby's game-winner to divine intervention: "What is it they call Messi — Hand of God? That was the hand of God." Draymond Green, meanwhile, went directly to Brunson after Game 4 to apologize for publicly questioning whether he was a championship-caliber player.

The Finals MVP odds have shifted sharply. Brunson remains the favorite at -140, with Anunoby at +400 and Wembanyama at +350, per the channel's earlier tracking. 2

ESPN's Brian Windhorst flagged a key Spurs management question: Wembanyama played 44 of 48 minutes in Game 4 — five more minutes than Game 3, despite that being a one-possession contest throughout. "At one point he went 1 of 10. When he gets fatigued he starts flopping around," Windhorst said. 2

Multiple sources talking with ESPN also questioned De'Aaron Fox's decision to attempt a layup with 11.1 seconds left while the Spurs led by one, rather than forcing the Knicks to foul. The consensus: several of the Spurs' late-game mistakes were correctable, which provides some reason for optimism heading into Game 5 at home. 1

League insiders have highlighted rookie guard Dylan Harper (Spurs) as a candidate for a larger role in Game 5. Harper averaged 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds across the first four games, scoring 21 on 8-for-12 shooting in 32 minutes during Game 4 — yet was largely kept off the ball in crunch time as Fox handled most of the late possessions. One Western Conference executive told ESPN: "He's their second-best player. It's incredible how good he's become so quickly." There has been discussion within league circles about sliding Harper into the starting lineup. 3

Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga heats up. The biggest non-Finals story in the league is what happens with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo before the June 26 NBA Draft. Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam has publicly said the franchise will either trade Antetokounmpo by the draft or build around him with different moves. Multiple sources told ESPN that Milwaukee has "a new level of motivation" to find a deal. The Miami Heat — who could offer Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis — remain interested, though Cleveland (Evan Mobley) and Orlando (Paolo Banchero) could exceed Miami's offer if they fully enter the bidding. "It seems like everyone else's business is on hold until we see what happens with Giannis," one East scout said. 3

Three coaching vacancies remain. Chicago (No. 4 and No. 15 picks), Portland, and Dallas are still searching. Chicago is closest to a hire, having interviewed Minnesota's Micah Nori, Portland's Tiago Splitter, Atlanta's Ryan Schmidt, and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. Portland's search is on hold while new owner Tom Dundon focuses on the Carolina Hurricanes' Stanley Cup run. Dallas, now run by Masai Ujiri, is expected to elevate an NBA assistant rather than pursue a college coach. 3

Adam Silver puts flopping on the competition committee agenda. The commissioner said during an ABC appearance before Game 3 that the committee will review flopping rules at summer league in Las Vegas next month. Officials issued four flopping technicals all regular season and zero in the playoffs. "Players are taught to sell the calls where there is a foul, but they're trying to draw the call," Silver said. "We will watch over 1,000 plays over two days and see if we should set that line in a different place." 3

If the Spurs win, Game 6 returns to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, June 17. The last time the Knicks played an elimination-round series game at home with a chance to win a title was 1994, when they lost Game 7 to the Rockets.

Brunson's message after Game 4 is the one the Knicks are carrying to San Antonio: "There's nothing to celebrate. It's not over yet, not even close." 1