Donald Trump Attends Game 3 as Knicks Fall 115-111 — Nba Game 4
The Knicks lost 115-111 to the San Antonio Spurs in nba game 4’s lead-up at Madison Square Garden, with President Donald Trump in attendance next to James Dolan. It was the first NBA Finals game hosted in Manhattan in a generation, and the president’s arrival brought a security setup that changed how some fans reached the building.
Trump and Dolan in the box
Trump watched Game 3 from a bulletproof box set up beneath the Lexus Suite Level, with Dolan beside him for the start of the game. The scene put the Knicks owner and the president together at a Finals game that drew attention before the opening tip and kept it long after the score tightened late.
Dolan’s presence added another layer to a night already marked by the size of the moment. He had banned someone in 2019 for telling him to “sell the team,” and in 2024 he allowed Trump to host a rally at Madison Square Garden that featured an insulting joke aimed at Puerto Rico.
Fans paid for access
Some of the people trying to get inside paid heavily for the chance. Jake Borden and Destiny Krause traveled from the Jersey Shore a few minutes before 3 p.m. on Monday for the 8:30 tipoff, and each paid $11,000 for upper balcony seats.
Borden did not hide how steep that price felt. “We love the Knicks,” he said before Game 3 about buying expensive tickets. He also called the cost “Oh, way too expensive. I mean, there’s a lot of fans out there, and it should be more accessible,” and added, “Walking by some fans (saying), ‘We couldn’t get tickets,’ and they really deserve to be here. There’s a lot of people who don’t even care about the Knicks who might be here, you know, big suits. It should be for the fans.”
Another attendee, Steve C., cut straight to the point on the floor: “The orange man should not be here,” he said. That reaction fit a night when heightened security and restricted access sat alongside the rare sight of an NBA Finals game in Manhattan.
Madison Square Garden pressure
The setting made the game feel more expensive and less open for the fans who wanted it most. A couple interviewed about the night said they spent the actual cost of a used luxury car on tickets, while other fans said the security measures tied to Trump’s visit made the experience unusually difficult.
The Knicks still had the game in front of them, and they did not finish it. The 115-111 loss to the Spurs left the result to speak for itself, while the night’s other headline remained the president’s seat inside the Garden and the crowd frustration outside it.
