Karl-Anthony Towns saved New York from a potential disaster in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, tipping the final inbound pass before the Spurs could finish on a game-winning look. The Knicks went on to win 107-106 and take a 3-1 series lead after a historic 29-point
When the final second finally arrived, Dylan Harper held the ball to inbound it with the pressure crushing everything else. Karl-Anthony Towns was guarding him, right where the Knicks needed a heartbeat.
Harper threw the ball in, and Towns didn’t just challenge it—he tipped it with his fingers. Stephon Castle was then double-teamed in the paint. trying to get a shot off as the Spurs searched for a finish. Instead. the sequence ended with the Knicks squeezing out a 107-106 victory at Madison Square Garden. turning a game that had already started slipping away into a moment people would still be talking about long after the horn.
OG Anunoby’s game-winner was the headline, and it deserved every bit of it, giving New York the commanding 3-1 lead. But the last possession told a different story in real time: without Towns’ fingertip on that inbound, the Spurs likely would’ve converted into a game-winning play.
The numbers at the end made the impact concrete. Towns finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. It was the kind of production that kept the comeback alive, while the defensive intervention at the end kept it from turning into the kind of loss that haunts a series.
Game 4 mattered because New York needed it after a devastating Game 3 loss. one that put the Spurs back into the series and made this evening feel heavier from the jump. This was also Towns’ first NBA Finals. and the way he has played since getting there has been more than just presence—it’s been consistent output. During the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Towns is averaging 16.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
Along the way, he has also been effective at containing Victor Wembanyama. Towns has shot 56.7% from the field and 47.3% from the 3-point line, the sort of efficiency that helps keep opponents from getting comfortable when the offense needs to steady itself.
Put together, the final sequence and the wider performance make Game 4 feel like it belongs in the category of “consequential,” the type that reshapes how a series is remembered. New York now sits in a prime position to win its first NBA championship since 1973.
Game 5 is set for Saturday at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, with the Knicks carrying that 3-1 advantage—thanks in no small part to a single tip that changed the ending before it could be written.
NBA Finals New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs Karl-Anthony Towns OG Anunoby Victor Wembanyama Madison Square Garden Game 4 29-point comeback Game 5
So Towns just tipped it at the last second?? That’s crazy, OG better be getting all the credit too though.
Wait I thought OG won it anyway? Like didn’t they already have the game? Sounds like a lot of drama on the inbound pass and I’m confused who even threw it in.
I don’t buy the whole “saved from disaster” thing, like if the Spurs were gonna win they would’ve. Also ESPN always picks one guy like it was destiny. OG Anunoby game-winner headline, but then the story is a fingertip tip… it’s like two different games.
Madison Square Garden + Finals = refs and chaos, I swear. The article says Towns tipped the inbound, then says Harper held it? That part feels backwards. Anyway 3-1 lead is huge even if it sounds like one play decided everything. Game 5 Saturday in San Antonio, Knicks better not mess around lol.