I needed a stop. My mom was here for me.
In the long arc of New York's basketball hunger — a championship drought stretching back to 1973 — the Knicks moved two wins closer to redemption on Friday night, surviving a breathtaking Spurs rally to win Game 2 of the NBA Finals, 105-104, in San Antonio. A missed final jumper by the prodigious Victor Wembanyama, 22, sealed the outcome and gave New York a 2-0 series lead, extending one of the most remarkable playoff runs in the sport's history. What unfolded in those final seconds was not merely a basketball play but a reminder that greatness, even in its most luminous form, must still reckon with the weight of the moment.
- A 14-0 Spurs run erased a double-digit Knicks lead and briefly gave San Antonio its first second-half advantage, turning a comfortable night into a crisis.
- Wembanyama, largely quiet for three quarters, erupted to carry his team to the brink — 29 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks — only to see a chaotic final possession unravel with a turnover and a missed shot.
- Karl-Anthony Towns anchored New York's survival with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and after the final buzzer credited a prayer to his late mother for the stop that preserved the win.
- The Knicks' 13-game playoff win streak — second-longest in NBA history — now places them in the company of the 1993 Bulls and 1995 Rockets, both of whom won it all after going up 2-0 on the road.
- The Spurs return to a must-win Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday, where President Trump is expected to attend and New York's crowd will be hunting a championship.
The Knicks nearly gave it away. A double-digit lead dissolved in the fourth quarter as San Antonio unleashed a 14-0 run, tied the game at 97, and briefly took the lead on a Wembanyama and-one. Jalen Brunson answered with a step-back jumper to knot it at 104 with 39 seconds left, and the final possession fell to the Spurs.
What followed was the kind of chaos that decides championships. Brunson missed a jumper, Wembanyama grabbed the rebound and fired an outlet pass that struck an unsuspecting Stephon Castle in the back — turnover. Fouled on the next play, Brunson made one of two free throws. Wembanyama then caught the ball with seven seconds left, open inside the arc, and took his shot. It was too strong. It bounced off the rim. The Knicks won, 105-104.
Wembanyama admitted afterward he was still "very blurry" about those final possessions, that he needed more poise. The numbers — 29 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks — told the story of a generational talent who nearly willed his team to victory, and didn't.
The steadier hand belonged to Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 17 first-half points and finished with 21 and 13 rebounds on efficient shooting. When Towns fouled out of rhythm in the third quarter, Wembanyama took over — but the Knicks held firm. Brunson and Mikal Bridges each added 20 points in a balanced effort that kept New York in front when it mattered.
After the buzzer, Towns looked skyward. He told the broadcast he had prayed to his mother — lost during the Covid-19 pandemic — before that final possession. "A great player got a great shot, it just didn't go in," he said. "I take it as a sign that my mom was here for me."
New York's 13-game playoff win streak is now the second-longest in NBA history. They are two wins from their first title since 1973, and only the third team ever to win the first two Finals games on the road — joining the 1993 Bulls and 1995 Rockets, both champions. Game 3 is Monday at Madison Square Garden, where the Spurs must win or face an almost insurmountable 0-3 deficit.
The New York Knicks survived a collapse that nearly cost them everything. Down the stretch of Game 2, with the San Antonio Spurs clawing back from a double-digit deficit, the Knicks' lead evaporated. Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old French phenom who had been quiet for most of the night, suddenly came alive in the third quarter and carried his team into contention. By the fourth, San Antonio was hunting. A 14-0 run tied the game at 97. The Spurs took their first lead of the second half on an and-one layup from Wembanyama. Jalen Brunson answered with a step-back jumper to tie it at 104 with 39 seconds remaining. The final possession belonged to San Antonio.
What happened next was the kind of sequence that decides championships. Brunson missed a jumper. Wembanyama grabbed the rebound and tried a quick outlet pass to teammate Stephon Castle, who wasn't expecting it. The ball hit Castle in the back. Turnover. Wembanyama fouled Brunson on the next play. Brunson made one of two free throws, leaving the Spurs with just over seven seconds and a chance to win. Wembanyama had an open jumper from inside the three-point line. He took it. The shot was too strong, bounced off the rim, and fell away as the clock expired. The Knicks won 105-104.
It was a finish that left Wembanyama searching for words. He admitted afterward that he was still "very blurry" about the final three possessions, that he needed more poise and control. He said he liked the final shot itself, that he needed to "shoot to score." But the math was simple: 29 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a missed opportunity to steal a game the Spurs had nearly won.
The real architect of the Knicks' survival was Karl-Anthony Towns. The 30-year-old center scored 17 points in the first half, nearly matching his entire Game 1 output, and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each added 20. The Spurs came out sharper, jumping to a 35-24 lead, but the Knicks' second quarter showed the depth of this matchup. Towns' brilliance in that stretch pulled New York back, and by halftime the Knicks led by four. An 11-5 run to start the third quarter pushed the lead to 10 and quieted the San Antonio crowd. When Towns picked up his third and fourth fouls and went to the bench, Wembanyama took over. But the Knicks' defense and offense held firm enough to enter the fourth with the lead still theirs.
With this win, New York extended its playoff streak to 13 consecutive victories, the second-longest in NBA history. The Knicks are now two wins away from not only tying an NBA record but from winning their first championship since 1973. They became the third team ever to win the first two games of an NBA Finals on the road—joining the 1993 Chicago Bulls and the 1995 Houston Rockets. Both of those teams went on to win the championship.
After the final buzzer, Towns looked up at the sky. He told the ABC broadcast that he had prayed to his mother before that final possession, that he "needed a stop." Towns lost his mother during the Covid-19 pandemic. "A great player got a great shot, it just didn't go in," he said. "I take it as a sign that my mom was here for me."
Game 3 is scheduled for Monday at Madison Square Garden in New York at 8:30 p.m. ET. President Donald Trump is expected to attend. The Spurs, facing the prospect of falling into an 0-3 hole, will have to find a way to stop the Knicks' momentum on their home floor.
Notable Quotes
I need to have more poise, more control over the game. I am not going to go through the whole possessions, but that's the general image.— Victor Wembanyama, on the final possessions
I needed a stop. A great player got a great shot, it just didn't go in. I take it as a sign that my mom was here for me.— Karl-Anthony Towns, after the game
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What was the turning point in this game? It felt like the Spurs had it.
They did have it, at least for a moment. That 14-0 run in the fourth quarter—that was real. But Wembanyama's mistake on the rebound, the turnover, that's where it shifted. One possession changed everything.
Wembanyama played brilliantly though. Twenty-nine points. Why does that final shot matter so much?
Because it was the last one. He had the chance to win the game outright, and he didn't make it. In the Finals, that's the only thing people remember. The rest of his performance becomes context for the miss.
Towns seemed to play with something extra. What was that about?
He was efficient, yes, but there was something else—he was present in a way that mattered. And after the game, when he talked about his mother, you understood that this wasn't just basketball for him. It was about something deeper.
The Knicks are two wins away from their first title since 1973. That's a long time. Does that pressure show?
Not yet. They're playing loose, playing well. But pressure has a way of arriving when you're closest to something you want. Game 3 at home should tell us if they can handle it.
What does Wembanyama need to do differently?
He said it himself—more poise, more control. He's young, and young players sometimes rush when the moment gets big. He'll learn from this. The question is whether he learns fast enough.