NBA Finals MVP Odds: Karl-Anthony Towns Closing the Gap on Jalen Brunson After Knicks Take 2-0 Lead

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Written By Nick Crain | Published at June 7, 2026
Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to move the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half during game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The NBA Finals are officially two games in, and the New York Knicks couldn’t have asked for a better start.

New York has taken down the San Antonio Spurs in both contests on the road, giving the Knicks a commanding 2-0 series lead as the Finals shift back to Madison Square Garden. With the Knicks now in a very advantageous position to win the series, NBA Finals MVP odds have shifted accordingly.

FanDuel still has Jalen Brunson as the favorite to win the award, but his latest challenger is no longer Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs. It’s now his own teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, who has surged into second place and made a real case for Finals MVP because of what he’s done on both ends of the floor.

Current NBA Finals MVP Odds:

Wembanyama, by all accounts, has made a case that he’s one of the best players in the world throughout the regular season and this playoff run. But in the NBA Finals, he’s struggled relative to his expectations. A lot of that is due to what Towns has been able to do.

Towns has gone right at Wembanyama offensively and has had success efficiently scoring the ball and operating as an offensive hub for New York. But on defense, he’s also used his physical tools to keep Wembanyama out of the paint and force him into difficult contested jumpers.

That has been one of the biggest difference-makers in this series.

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Of course, Brunson has been phenomenal in his own right, and there’s a reason he still leads the odds board. He’s the face of this Knicks team, the primary offensive engine and the player most likely to have the ball in his hands late in games.

But in terms of offensive impact combined with slowing down San Antonio’s best player, Towns has arguably been the Knicks’ most important piece through the first two games.

That’s why this race has become much more interesting than it looked after Game 1. At that point, it still seemed like Brunson versus Wembanyama. Now, with the Knicks up 2-0 and Towns playing such a massive role in the matchup, the award feels much more like a two-player race within New York.

If the Spurs are able to come back, Wembanyama would clearly be the Finals MVP favorite for San Antonio. He’s currently at +380, which means oddsmakers still believe there’s at least a decent chance the Spurs make this a series and potentially come back to win it.

But outside of Wembanyama, there isn’t much value on the San Antonio side. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are all massive longshots, which shows that barring an injury or something unexpected happening to Wembanyama, any Spurs championship scenario likely ends with him winning the award.

That’s different from New York’s case, where both Brunson and Towns have clear and realistic paths to Finals MVP. If Brunson controls the offense, closes games and remains the emotional engine of the team, he could absolutely win it. But if Towns continues to produce efficiently while also being the main reason Wembanyama is limited, his case becomes impossible to ignore.

Ultimately, the betting markets are telling a very clear story after two games. The Knicks are in control, and at this point, there are really only three players with a realistic shot to win NBA Finals MVP.

It could still be Brunson. It could be Towns. And if the Spurs complete a comeback, it would almost certainly be Wembanyama. From here, the award will come down to who wins the series and which star is able to play best down the stretch.

 

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