Charles Barkley says Karl-Anthony Towns is dominating the matchup with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during the NBA Finals.
“Wemby’s in shock right now,” Barkley said on ESPN after the Knicks went up 2-0 in the NBA Finals with a 105-104 victory on the road. “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.”
Towns, the Piscataway, N.J. native who grew up dreaming of playing for the Knicks, went for 21 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists in Game 2 after posting 18, 12 and 4 in Game 1.
He continued to play stellar defense against Wembanyama, who finished with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting with 9 rebounds but had a critical turnover in the final seconds and then missed the potential game-winning shot.
“I threw that one away [to Steph Castle], I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team,” Wembanyama told reporters of his costly turnover in the final seconds that was recovered by Jalen Brunson, who was fouled and made 1-of-2 foul shots to put the Knicks up 105-104.
“We need to win that game; this game was ours. But at this point it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Yes, absolutely.”
Speaking with ABC’s Lisa Salters, Towns said of his defense on Wembanyama:
“He’s a great player, he’s a once in a generation player, you gotta make it difficult on him. So just utilizing my experience, utilizing my size, my skill, and just trying to make it difficult on him.
“I’m just happy to be playing basketball. ..It’s kept me alive. I’m forever grateful.”
Magic Johnson even praised Towns’ performance:
“Karl-Anthony Towns was impressive on both ends of the floor, dominating the first half and making nothing easy for Wembanyama defensively, finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds,” the legend wrote on X/Twitter.
Towns will return home to play Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday in a game that will be attended by Donald Trump and is sure to feature a wild atmosphere.
“He’s playing with pace, he’s playing smart, he’s playing inside and outside,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “He’s controlling the offense with the passing, and he is just playing unbelievable basketball. If it ended today, he would definitely be the Most Valuable Player.”
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