Madison Square Garden will host an NBA Finals game tonight for the first time in 27 years. Tickets are going for five-figure sums. President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are expected to attend. It’s a consequential game, as well. If the San Antonio Spurs can’t pull out a win, the New York Knicks would be on the brink of a title.
In today’s newsletter, we preview tonight’s action, catch up with the Stanley Cup Final and continue our World Cup countdown. We’ll have reporters on the scene at MSG today, so check the NBC News website for more coverage.
As the NBA Finals shift to New York, the Knicks are on a winning streak unlike nearly any we have seen. New York won the first two finals games in San Antonio, extending its playoff win streak to 13 straight, dating to the first round. (The Knicks have famously not lost a game since Karl-Anthony Towns cameoed in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”)
“The Garden is going to be rocking,” New York’s Josh Hart said yesterday. “Obviously, in this city we love our Knicks. So we’re going to come out, show love, support. The energy is going to be electric.”
The expensive ticket prices don’t seem to be deterring fans from attending tonight’s game, including the president and the mayor, both of whom have said they are planning to attend. Trump’s decision to go has already had consequences, with the New York Police Department preventing outdoor watch parties around the arena due to increased security.
While the atmosphere should be equal parts raucous and circus, the Spurs are desperate to win a basketball game in the middle of it all. San Antonio is looking to bounce back after falling short of a comeback in a devastating manner in Game 2.
“We need to capitalize, actually use all the efforts we did,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said yesterday about what he learned from the first two games of the series. “It felt like we did a lot of things wrong, but we also were relentless and kept pushing, but kind of, like, wasted that effort.”
No, the Stanley Cup Final won’t be getting a visit from the president, and no, it won’t be the main talking point this week in New York. But through three games, Las Vegas’ 2-1 lead over Carolina has featured just about everything else. Vegas won Game 1 on the road with a two-goal comeback. Carolina overcame the same deficit, in the third period, to win Game 2 in overtime.
But Saturday’s Game 3 one-upped them both.
“I’ve experienced a lot of games in [the] playoffs,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said Saturday. “I haven’t experienced one like this.”
Las Vegas not only led 4-0 at one point, but their star Mitch Marner had scored all three goals of his hat trick in just 6:10 — the fastest in Stanley Cup Final history. That would spell game over in most series. Not this one, though. Not after Carolina answered by scoring three goals in only 39 seconds, then added a tying fourth goal with less than two minutes to go in the third period.
Las Vegas would survive in two overtimes, 5-4.
This series has been so close, and such a classic, that through three games the teams are separated by just one goal — Las Vegas 13, Carolina 12. You’d be foolish to count Carolina out of a series that has been this unpredictable, but historically, teams that win Game 3 after going into the game tied, 1-1, have gone on to win the Stanley Cup 77% of the time, per ESPN research.
Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is Turkey’s Kenan Yildiz.
Kenan Yildiz is part of a golden generation for Turkiye, or Turkey as many English-speakers call it. The word Yildiz in Turkish translates to “star” in English, which probably made the 21-year-old right at home with a team affectionately called the Crescent-Stars.
Born in Germany, Yildiz spent a decade at Bayern’s junior squad before making the move to Juventus in Italy a few years ago. He’s proven himself to be a classic No. 10 during his time with the squad, a playmaker with an attacking presence that makes goals an inevitable fact.
The club describes him as a “model of leadership, sacrifice and a constant drive for improvement” with a decisive presence in the final third. His speed and ability to read the field has been more than beneficial for the Italian team as Yildiz racked up 10 goals and six assists in the most recent season in Serie A.
And part of Yildiz’s appeal is his versatility. While he plays midfield at the club level, Turkey puts him out front to serve as a forward. The moves worked out just fine for Yildiz, who’s responsible for three goals during the nation’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Many eyes will be on Yildiz and Real Madrid midfielder Arda Güler, especially as they potentially fill a scoring gap on a World Cup team that lacks a true striker in the lineup.
This is the first time Turkey has qualified for the World Cup since 2002, when the squad placed third overall in its first appearance at the tournament in nearly 50 years. The country has put its hopes on a relatively young squad to create as much of a commanding presence in this FIFA World Cup as it did after its last long absence.
Friday’s entry was Sweden’s Viktor Gyökeres. Read about him here.
The Spurs’ secret weapon this postseason? A former coach offering pearls of wisdom.
The U.S. men’s national team is feeling good entering the World Cup, despite losing a friendly match over the weekend to Germany.
Kimi Antonelli won the Monaco Grand Prix, giving him five straight Formula 1 wins.
What are we watching? Really? The first NBA Finals game at MSG in 27 years. The Tonys were last night, but this is our version of theater. Already counting down the hours until tipoff.
All times are Eastern:
7 p.m.: Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics, on Peacock
8:30 p.m.: New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs, on ABC
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