First, Karl-Anthony Towns outplayed Victor Wembanyama in the New York Knicks‘ hair-raising 105-104 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs in game two of the NBA Finals.
Then, moments after the final buzzer, the Piscataway native invoked his beloved, late mother in the most heartfelt interview.
Asked at mid-court by ABC reporter Lisa Salters why he looked up toward the sky before the game’s final possession, which ended with a missed jumper by Wembanyama, the Knicks’ center responded in the most profound fashion.
“If you lose a parent, anyone who’s listening, you look for signs,” he said. “I’ll take any sign I can get, and I prayed to her strong before that possession.”
Jacqueline Cruz-Towns died in April of 2020 due to complications from Covid-19. She was 58 and a loving, joyful parent and role model. Her husband and Karl-Anthony’s dad, Karl Towns, also was hospitalized at that time with Covid but survived. On Friday, In a moment straight from a movie script, the elder Karl engulfed Karl-Anthony in a long embrace right after the postgame TV interview.
The entire New York metropolitan area is embracing the St. Joseph-Metuchen graduate right now. In Game 2 Karl-Anthony posted 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added 13 rebounds and four assists, getting the better of the much-hyped Wembanyama for the second straight contest as the Knicks took a 2-0 lead with the series heading to New York. Towns was watching the final sequence from the bench as Knicks’ coach Mike Brown went with defensive specialist Mitchell Robinson on Wembanyama.
“A great player got a great shot and it just didn’t go in,” Towns said. “I mean, it’s great defense, shout out to Mitch, shout out to our team, but you know, I take it as a sign that my mom was here with me, so I appreciate her so much.”
In 2024, when Towns signed with the Knicks after playing his first nine seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, his father was ecstatic.
“It’s a lifetime dream,” the elder Karl, who played collegiately at Monmouth, said at the time. “Not everybody gets that opportunity, to put on a Knicks jersey and play in the mecca — it’s a dream come true.”
Speaking of Jacqueline, he added, “She would be happy because her baby is back home – he’s back home where he started. She’s in heaven ecstatic.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Karl-Anthony Towns pays tribute to late mom after Knicks win Game 2
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