Towns Powers Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns Dominates Spurs with Key Stats as Knicks Near NBA Championship
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Karl-Anthony Towns delivered his best performance of the 2026 NBA Finals in Game 3, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 115-102 North Jersey. The win gives New York a 3-0 series lead and puts the Knicks one victory away from their first NBA championship since 1973.
Through three games, Towns is averaging 21.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He is shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three-point range Yahoo Sports. Those numbers are the best for a Knicks center in a Finals series in over 50 years, according to Basketball-Reference.
Towns Dominates Wembanyama in San Antonio Showdown
Game 3 was a battle of generational big men. Towns, 30, went toe-to-toe with 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama all night. Towns recorded 3 blocks and shot 61 percent from the field. When guarded primarily by Towns, Wembanyama shot just 39 percent across the series, according to Second Spectrum tracking data App.com.
Even Wembanyama acknowledged being outmatched. "Towns is playing with a level of physicality I haven't seen from him before," the Spurs center said after the game. "He's making every catch difficult." Spurs coach Gregg Popovich added that Towns' ability to rebound while stretching the floor "disrupts our entire defensive rotation."
A New Jersey Kid Carrying 53 Years of Knicks History
Towns grew up in Piscataway, New Jersey, and starred at St. Joseph-Metuchen High School before becoming a six-time NBA All-Star My Central Jersey. His path back to the Garden — and to a Finals stage — has been anything but smooth. Critics spent years calling him too soft for a championship run.
That narrative has flipped completely in 2026. Analysts are now comparing his Finals run to Willis Reed's iconic 1973 performance. Towns is also playing through a lingering calf strain. "We aren't celebrating yet," he said after Game 3. "50 years of waiting for this city won't be satisfied with a 3-0 lead. We finish the job."
Towns' Three-Point Range Opens the Floor for New York
What makes Towns so hard to stop is his rare combination of inside power and outside shooting. He scored 22 points in Game 1, 18 in Game 2, and 25 in Game 3 Lohud. Shooting 43.3 percent from three forces Wembanyama away from the rim — exactly where coach Tom Thibodeau wants him.
ESPN analyst Doris Burke described the strategy clearly. "He isn't just floating on the perimeter," Burke said. "He is forcing Victor to defend the block, which is wearing the young star out by the fourth quarter." Stephen A. Smith put it more bluntly on ESPN: "Karl-Anthony Towns is the missing piece that has turned the Garden into the Mecca once again."
One Win Away: What a Knicks Title Would Mean
The Knicks last won the NBA title in 1973 with Walt Frazier and Willis Reed. This title drought spans 53 years. A championship would be the biggest moment in New York basketball history for a full generation of fans North Jersey.
The economic stakes are enormous too. A Knicks championship is projected to generate over $450 million in local economic activity for New York City, according to estimates from the NYC Economic Development Corporation. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in San Antonio. New York needs just one more win to close it out.
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