Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks blew their chance for a 3-0 series lead in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Up 2-0 entering the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden in New York since 1999, Towns and the Knicks looked poised to win their third-straight game against the San Antonio Spurs behind a supportive pro-New York crowd.
Instead, the Knicks let San Antonio escape with a 115-111 victory on Monday.
After the game, Towns opened up about letting the nearly 20,000 fans who packed MSG down.
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“Of course our fans brought it. They always do. Of course they lived up to the expectations and exceeded them. We didn't do our job to give them something to cheer for after the game,” Towns told reporters in the postgame press conference (h/t SNY Knicks).
The six-time NBA All-Star Towns played well in the first two games of the series, both in San Antonio, but his chances of winning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award took a hit on Monday, as he finished with just 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the floor.
He had eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and an assist in 38 minutes, but he was also greatly outplayed by his San Antonio counterpart. Victor Wembanyama paced the Spurs with 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting, as San Antonio trimmed its series deficit, 2-1.
The loss was New York's first since the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Towns and the Knicks can bounce back and push San Antonio to the edge still on Wednesday, when they once again look to get their first NBA Finals game win since 1999.
Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks blew their chance for a 3-0 series lead in the 2026 NBA Finals. Up 2-0 entering the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden in New York since 1999, Towns and the Knicks looked poised to win their third-straight game against the San Antonio Spurs behind a supportive pro-New York crowd.