NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama sat in Gramercy Park on Sunday and drew the statue of 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth.

It was "not bad, pretty good," Wembanyama said. Turns out, it was the perfect mind-clearing activity that helped him shake off his miss at the buzzer in Game 2 and take over Game 3 of the NBA Finals, preventing the San Antonio Spurs from getting pushed to the brink of elimination.

"I really tried to relax," Wembanyama said. "The playoffs is like a whirlwind. It's hard to put your head out of the water, and sometimes it's like I don't even (have) to watch the game back, by the way. I just need a little time off, let my brain cool down and recover — recover as much for the body as for the mind."

Wembanyama made the first two shots he attempted on Monday night on the way to scoring 32 points in a 115-111 victory at the New York Knicks.

He had nine points in the first five minutes, including an alley-oop on the first basket of the game and a dunk on the next possession.

Coach Mitch Johnson said getting the ball to Wembanyama inside was not a strategy different to any other game.

"We never told Victor don't shoot an open 3-point shot, even if it's early in the game," Johnson said. "We wanted to put pressure on in the paint and at the rim."

Wembanyama was a force on both ends of the court, especially when it mattered most — late on.

After delivering the pass to Keldon Johnson for his layup that tied the score at 76-76 with 5:38 left in the third, Wembanyama hit a 3-pointer from 29 feet out to put the Spurs ahead. He scored the first basket of what turned into a dominant fourth quarter, later drawing a foul and making a pair of free throws for San Antonio's 99th and 100th points.

"Wemby played great," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "He had probably seven lob dunks because we didn't follow attention to detail and try to take that away."

With four minutes left and the Knicks looking to stage another comeback, the 7-foot-4 big man from France surged to block what looked to be an easy layup by Landry Shamet.

Wembanyama finished with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks in what was close to a must-win situation. No team has fallen behind 3-0 in the finals and come back to win the series.

"I don't think any of us are surprised, or expected anything different than a strong performance and him being on his front foot in terms of being in attack mode," coach Johnson said.

Teammates were not at all worried about Wembanyama in the aftermath of the 22-year-old star clanking a shot off the rim that would have been the Game 2 winner. Johnson said his recommendation was to shoot again and made clear the Spurs want the ball in Wembanyama's hands at important moments.

Before the game, Brown said of containing Wembanyama, "You hope you can make him work at the end of the day, and you hope he misses some shots."

Wembanyama missed seven shots from the floor, going 11 of 18 and silencing the crowd that, at one point, directed a vulgar chant his way. Asked if he was becoming the latest New York villain, he quipped:"I guess. I'm nowhere near Trae Young level, though."

He could surpass the longtime Atlanta Hawks and now-Washington Wizards guard as soon as Game 4 Wednesday, when Wembanyama gets the chance to help the Spurs try to even the series back at Madison Square Garden.

Fervent audience

A raucous crowd created an electric atmosphere for the first NBA Finals game at MSG since 1999.

That included boos for US President Donald Trump, the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, when he was shown on the arena video screen.

"At home it really feels like playing six against five," said Wembanyama. "In here it feels like playing five against six, but ... it really shows what teams are made of."

Expanded security measures for Trump's attendance led to fans being asked to arrive two hours before the tip-off and cancellation of a watch party outside the arena.

The Spurs knew no team had ever won an NBA playoff series after losing the first three games, helping push them after late-game blunders cost them in a Game 2 home loss.

Stephon Castle added 23 points for the Spurs, while Dylan Harper had 13 off the bench.

Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points while OG Anunoby added 28, but the Knicks shot 40-of-88 from the floor and only hit 13-of-37 from three-point range.

The Knicks' streak was halted two shy of the NBA playoff record of 15 wins by Golden State on the way to the 2017 title.

Brown complained about the officiating, while admitting the Spurs outplayed his team.

"They won the game. They came and took the game," Brown said.

"But I will say this: I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team's eight.

"That's tough to overcome when you're playing against a great team.

"Maybe we were fouling. But they fouled, too.

"There were opportunities for fouls to be called to at least try to even the free throws out."

A Castle three-pointer lifted the Spurs ahead 111-104 with 1:53 remaining.

Anunoby sank a free throw and Brunson added a three-pointer, but De'Aaron Fox made a clutch jump shot with 12.2 seconds remaining for a 113-108 San Antonio lead.

Anunoby followed with a three-pointer to reduce the deficit to 113-111, but Castle sealed victory with two final free throws.

The Spurs are seeking their sixth NBA title and first since 2014, while the Knicks won their only two crowns in 1970 and 1973.

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