Knicks Towns – Karl-Anthony Towns delivered a 21-point, 13-rebound showing and credited his late mother after the Knicks edged the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Friday night. With New York now two wins from a title and ending a 53-year drought
The Knicks were down early, the Finals stage felt sharper than ever, and every second carried extra weight for Karl-Anthony Towns.
On Friday night in Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs. New York fought back to win 105-104—and Towns was at the center of the comeback. He ended the night with 21 points and 13 rebounds. producing some of the most consistent stretches of his career while also locking in defensively on Victor Wembanyama.
During the period when the Knicks were struggling and the deficit was double digits, Towns took it personally. He outplayed Wembanyama in that stretch, then kept attacking both ends of the floor as the game tightened toward its finish.
In the final moments, the tension turned personal again. Towns said the ball clanked off the back iron on the final possession, sealing the Knicks’ win—and that moment brought him back to the woman he lost.
“It’s amazing. As you go through life, when you lose a parent, you just look for signs. I prayed to her strong before that possession. A great player got a shot and it just didn’t go in. It’s great defense. Shout out to Mitch (Robinson), shout out to our team. But you know, I take it as a sign that my mom was here. I appreciate her so much,” Towns told ABC’s Lisa Salters following the Knicks’ win.
Towns’ message carried the kind of heartbreak that doesn’t need embellishment. His mother, Jackie Cruz-Towns, passed away in April 2020 after complications from contracting COVID-19. Towns had made the decision to pull the plug so she could pass on peacefully.
Now, as the Knicks pushed deeper into the 2026 NBA playoffs and the Finals, Towns appears to be playing with that history always close by. After this Game 2 victory, New York is just two wins away from winning the title and breaking a 53-year title drought.
The game ended in the narrowest way: the Spurs’ last attempt finished with the kind of miss that makes a defender’s job and a believer’s hope collide. For Towns, it wasn’t just luck or timing. It was a sign—one he believes his mom was watching from beyond the hardest goodbye.
Karl-Anthony Towns New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama NBA Finals Game 2 105-104 2026 NBA playoffs Mitch Robinson Jackie Cruz-Towns 53-year title drought