Charles Barkley Couldn’t Hold Back After Watching Karl-Anthony Towns Take Over Against Victor Wembanyama
The New York Knicks have seized full control of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs . Behind another outstanding performance from Karl-Anthony Towns , New York secured a dramatic 105-104 victory in Game 2 on Friday, extending its series lead to 2-0 over Victor Wemba
The New York Knicks have seized full control of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs . Behind another outstanding performance from Karl-Anthony Towns , New York secured a dramatic 105-104 victory in Game 2 on Friday, extending its series lead to 2-0 over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
Towns once again emerged as one of the biggest storylines in the Knicks’ surge by delivering another dominant display on both ends of the floor on Friday. His performance drew high praise from former NBA star Charles Barkley, who also took a subtle jab at Wembanyama while highlighting Towns’ impact.
“Wemby’s in shock right now,” Barkley said . “It’s probably been a long time since he got his ass kicked like this. Wemby’s spinning. He’s 22. He’s gonna own the league soon. But right now, big KAT is just taking his ass to the woodshed. Plain and simple.”
The Hall of Famer continued his praise by arguing that Towns has been the most valuable player of the Finals so far.
“He was criticized in Minnesota ,” he said . “He was criticized in New York. But the MVP of the Finals is gonna be Karl-Anthony Towns. He played two of the best games I’ve ever seen a big man play. That man earned his flowers.”
Towns finished Game 2 with 21 points on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. He also contributed 13 rebounds and four assists. With the performance, he became the first Knicks player since Dave DeBusschere in 1973 to record a 20-point double-double in a road NBA Finals game.
The Knicks and Towns have thrived this season by playing an unselfish brand of basketball, and that approach has continued throughout the Finals. After helping limit Wembanyama in Game 1, Towns once again made life difficult for the Spurs superstar in Game 2. After the loss, Wembanyama acknowledged the challenges presented by Towns and the Knicks,
“It’s very different from previous series,” Wembanyama said . “It’s bringing us into difficult areas because they’re good players, he’s a good player. We need to figure it out.
