Donald Trump booed, appears to fall asleep at NBA Finals in New York City

Donald Trump has become the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals, but was loudly booed at Madison Square Garden – and later appeared to fall asleep – during a thrilling game three of the series between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Trump, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, was shown on the jumbotron while The Star-Spangled Banner was sung before the game, with jeers and boos, but also some cheering, breaking out across the arena.

He was shown for eight seconds as he saluted, and had a smile on his face. When the cameras turned to the Knicks players a few seconds later, the sell-out crowd just cheered.

The crowd, however, was silenced by the end of the game, the visiting Spurs winning 115-111 behind 224-centimetre French superstar Victor Wembanyama’s 32 points on 11-18 shooting, eight rebounds and six assists, cutting the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. Spurs playmaker Stephon Castle had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had 32 points on 11-25 shooting, to go along with five rebounds and five assists, but also five turnovers, while OG Anunoby had 28 points on 9-13 shooting, including a late three-pointer which cut the Spurs lead to two points with 9.4 seconds remaining.

The Knicks struggled to get their offence rolling after half-time, and were outscored in the third and fourth quarters – losing their first game in 46 days and snapping their 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in NBA play-off history.

No team has ever come back from a 0-3 hole in the NBA Finals. The Spurs have now guaranteed they will host at least one more home game in San Antonio.

“It’s the little things, more serious, less mistakes, less turnovers – it’s the whole [thing],” said Wembanyama, who was approached by a selfie-hungry member of the crowd in the final quarter of game one.

The Knicks, aiming for their championship since 1973, will attempt to regain momentum at home on Wednesday (Thursday morning AEST) in game four of the best-of-seven series.

All eyes pre-game were on Trump, a long-time Knicks supporter often seen courtside in the 1990s, who arrived before tip-off and chatted with Knicks owner James Dolan, several members of his cabinet, and his granddaughter, Kai Trump, in a box suite. The suite, in the arena’s lower bowl, was surrounded by protective glass, as part of extra security measures enforced on the day.

He was later shown on-screen sitting next to Dolan – but seemingly asleep – as the Knicks and Spurs fought it out in a high-energy contest.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver sai