The New York Knicks are showing no signs of slowing down, securing their 13th straight playoff win and eighth consecutive road victory with a 105-104 thriller over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
While Jalen Brunson was at the center of the Knicks’ run to the Finals, Karl-Anthony Towns has stepped up, recording back-to-back double-doubles.
After the win on Friday, Towns credited his late mother for helping him stay composed in the game’s biggest moments.
Karl-Anthony Towns Shares Emotional Tribute to His Late Mother After Knicks’ Game 2 Win
Towns led from the front on Friday, recording a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
He became the first Knicks player to record a 20-point double-double in a road NBA Finals game since Dave DeBusschere in 1973, per ESPN Insights.
Although the Knicks came dangerously close to losing after Victor Wembanyama missed a potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds, Towns said he had been praying to his mother before the final possession and credited her presence for the outcome.
“If you lose a parent, you just look for signs, and I’ll take any sign I could get. I prayed to her strong before that possession,” Towns said postgame.
“A great player got a great shot, and it just didn’t go in. It’s great defense, shout out to my team. But, you know, I take it as a sign my mom was there with me, so I appreciate her so much.”
“If you lose a parent…you just look for signs and I’ll take any sign I could get and I prayed to her strong before that possession…I take it as a sign my mom was there with me so I appreciate her so much”
— Karl-Anthony Towns🙏❤️
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24) pic.twitter.com/EDDrnlnU3V
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 6, 2026
Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, passed away in 2020 at the age of 58 due to complications from COVID-19.
Since then, she has remained a major source of inspiration for the Knicks star, who made a similar admission following Game 1.
“In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands,” Towns said, via the New York Times. “It was fun. It was really fun. It was really comforting because Game 1 of the NBA Finals, you’re told all the pressure there’s going to be and everything is. I don’t know.”
“It felt like a certain presence was here that was very comforting and very loving,” Towns added. “I felt like I could have fun out here in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which is the weirdest thing because you expect the pressure to be at its highest.”
Towns was impressive in Game 1 as well, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Following Game 2, NBA legend Charles Barkley even named him the leading candidate for NBA Finals MVP.
However, the job is far from finished for Towns and the Knicks, who will return home to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Monday night.
