Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns issued 2nd foul after successful Mitch Johnson challenge

The pressure of a potential championship clincher clearly reached a boiling point for the New York Knicks early in Game 5 on Saturday night. Returning to the Frost Bank Center with a 3-1 series lead, the Knicks found themselves in an immediate hole, largely due to the foul trouble plaguing star center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns faced a disastrous start against the San Antonio Spurs, compounding his team’s struggles on the road. The trouble began almost instantly when he was whistled for a defensive foul very early in the contest. His night went from bad to worse with a little over 8 minutes to go in the second quarter during a pivotal sequence involving Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama.

This is another offensive foul of Towns grabbing. They called Wemby’s foul. In the challenge they reversed it. @spurs @NBA pic.twitter.com/xqrD1zMX1Q

— BasqueTradamus (@basketradamus) June 14, 2026

As Towns maneuvered toward the three-point line to receive a pass, officials initially whistled Wembanyama for a foul. However, San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson wasted no time, signaling for a challenge. Upon review, the officials determined that Towns had actually initiated illegal contact by grabbing Wembanyama before the ball arrived. The call was overturned, saddling Towns with his second personal foul and sending him to the bench.

The ripple effect was immediate. Without their interior anchor, the Knicks struggled to find any rhythm offensively. New York entered the second quarter shooting a dismal 4-for-22 from two-point range, with Towns, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby combining for a staggering 1-for-9 start inside the arc. By the time Towns picked up his third foul late in the second quarter, he had already committed four of the team’s seven turnovers.

With New York trailing by eight points at the 2:34 mark of the second quarter, the Knicks face an uphill battle to keep their composure. If they hope to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy tonight, they will need Towns to stay on the floor and clean up the unforced errors that have defined their sloppy start.

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