Knicks Stars Enjoy Duel During All-Star Matchup

All-Star Weekend was a messy one for the league's PR department, but they still appear to have taken a massive step forward in inching closer to the brand of competitive basketball that league commissioner Adam Silver wants.

He finally hit paydirt in combining the tournament style with which he's so enamored, along with competitive matchups between usual teammates-turned-foes for a day, a concept he's been trying to tap back into ever since Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown went at it years ago. This time around, it was none other than the New York Knicks stars who pushed that ambition forward.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns faced off from two different sides of the All-Star crop; Brunson, a veteran and American, was featured as a starter on Team Stripes, while Towns, enlisting for Team World through his association with the Dominican Republic, stood opposite of the lead Knick for Game 3 of the round-robin tournament. They didn't let the moment get lost on one another, either, savoring their chance to go back-and-forth on a big stage.

Brunson and KAT going at eachother pic.twitter.com/U1lJwM8sJT
— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) February 15, 2026

The opportunity allowed Brunson to try checking Towns from the perimeter, and the guard certainly took advantage of his larger counterpart when he caught him on an island. They combined for 14 points in that specific 12-minute-long matchup, taking the conservative route despite Brunson's confidence in handling his usual running-mate.

"I knew no matter what shot I shot, the ball was going in," he said following the game. "Whenever KAT's guarding me, I know what's gonna happen."

"I knew no matter what shot I shot, the ball was going in."

Jalen Brunson on Knicks teammate Karl-Anthony Towns guarding him in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game! pic.twitter.com/eLQWvcmhgi
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2026

The Knicks' Strong Day Out

While some may read this as an indictment of Towns' defense, something of a hot topic among Knicks fans and evaluators across the game, Brunson is just that confident in his shot-making, and deservedly so. He and his squad ended up performing well enough to square off against Team Stars, the Stripes' younger counterparts, where they were whooped to the tune of a 47-21 beatdown.

Towns still had his day, scoring 10 points as the last player off of Team World's bench before accruing six more against Brunson, though he'd go 0-2 on the day in falling short of the championship game.

Team World Center Karl-Anthony Towns — Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team World forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the New York Knicks moves up court in game one against Team World during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Though Brunson's highlights were more expected than Towns', it made for a well-timed response to any underlying doubts that he belonged in this iteration of the All-Star format.

The center struggled as a scorer all season long amidst his quest to rediscover his shooting and finishing touch, and though the Eastern Conference offered few intriguing alternatives to challenge him for his spot, the former 50-point All-Star game scorer ended up totaling a few more buckets on his till.

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