Karl-Anthony Towns is outplaying Victor Wembanyama, Knicks are two wins from title because of it

SAN ANTONIO — If the vote took place after two games, Karl-Anthony Towns would be the NBA Finals MVP.

It’s not just me saying that.

“The MVP of the Finals is gonna be Karl-Anthony Towns. That man earned his flowers,” Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA Friday night.

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That nod to Towns is with all due respect to Jalen Brunson, who has lived up to the Captain Clutch nickname in two straight games. It’s with all due respect to Mikal Bridges, who has played his best basketball in the Finals.

Without Towns playing at this level, New York is down 0-2 in this series.

Towns scored a team-high 21 points with 13 rebounds on Friday night, but his counting stats don’t do his impact in this series justice. His physical defense on Wembanyama has kept the Spurs star off balance and in relative check for most of the first two games. On the other end of the court, Towns is a matchup nightmare because he can bully his way to the rim for a bucket or knock down a jumper. His threat as a 3-point shooter who must be accounted for has pulled Wemby out of the paint — opening the path for Knicks drives and offensive rebounds in a way the Thunder or no other team has been able to against the Spurs.

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“He’s been great. I think he’s been pretty phenomenal on both sides of the ball,” Jalen Brunson said of Towns’ effort. “The things he’s been able to do throughout this entire playoffs but obviously here now, he’s been great…”

Then Brunson threw out the line that defines these Knicks this postseason:

“But we need more.”

“I think he’s made some shots and he’s a really good player…” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “He played two good games. We have to make it tougher on him. We’ve had some coverage breakdowns.”

Towns’ Journey wasn’t smooth

The Timberwolves traded Towns to New York in a deal that was far more about Minnesota’s salary cap outlook than production on the court. However, there also were persistent questions around the Timberwolves about whether Towns was enough alongside Anthony Edwards to get the team over the hump.

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It’s because of those years that Towns relates to what the Spurs are going…

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Publish date : 2026-06-06 06:30:00

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