Karl-Anthony Towns Discusses Prayer to Mom in Video After Knicks' NBA Finals Game 2 Win vs. Spurs

New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns discussed his prayer to his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, following the team's 105-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals.

"I needed this stop," Towns said in an interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters (0:07 mark). "It's amazing as you go through life, you lose a parent, you just look for signs. I'll take any sign I can get and I prayed to her strong before that possession. A great player got a great shot, it just didn't go in. It's great defense. Shout-out to Mitch, shout-out to our team. But I take it as a sign my mom was here with me so I appreciate her so much."

With New York holding a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, San Antonio had an opportunity to win at the buzzer before Victor Wembanyama was unable to connect on a jumper over the outstretched arm of Knicks center Mitchell Robinson.

Towns was a key factor in the victory, scoring a team-high 21 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. He shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

Towns' mother died in April 2020 from COVID-19 complications.

The six-time All-Star also said that he felt her presence in Game 1 of the 2026 Finals.

"I don't want to sound sugarcoating or anything like that," Towns said during a Wednesday appearance on Inside the NBA (h/t Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). "I don't know what it was, but I just felt a calm and a peace that had to be come from the woman above. I felt really confident about today. I felt good. I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here."

"In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands," he added. "It was fun. It was really fun. It was really comforting because Game 1 of the NBA Finals, you're told all the pressure there's going to be and everything is. I don't know."

The Knicks are now two wins away from capturing their first championship since 1973 largely due to Towns' stellar play in the first two games of the series.