Karl-Anthony Towns Makes More Unique Knicks History

Karl-Anthony Towns netted more New York Knicks history against Brooklyn.

Towns made up for lost time on Sunday night as he returned to the Knicks’ lineup following a one-game absence for a knee injury. Already responsible for some of the most unique early stretches and box scores in Knicks history, Towns put forth another in the latter half of a doubleheader with the Brooklyn Nets: with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists in the 114-104 win, Towns became the first Knick to have at least 25, 15, and five in the respective categories in less than 30 minutes (h/t Tommy Beer).

Towns’ efforts came through big for the Knicks (7-6), who re-joined the exclusive brotherhood of Eastern Conference teams with winning records after the win, posting up with Boston, Orlando, and undefeated Cleveland. New York endured a tough shooting night from franchise face Jalen Brunson (3-of-14) but Towns’ multi-faceted game awed participants.

“I thought he was just a shooter and a scorer,” Josh Hart said of Towns, per Barbara Barker of Newsday. “He’s kind of surprised me with his passes. He’s a willing passer and we like to play through him. He likes to make sure the passes connect. He can be as flashy as he wants as long as they come through.”

Armed with a lasting flair for the dramatics, Towns had Knicks fans inhaling when he went down hard after a collision with Nets reserve Noah Clowney during second half action. Having landed on the small of his back, Towns was noticeably wincing in the immediate aftermath but still played 4:40 in the final quarter.

Per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, Towns was in apparent good spirits in an already-joyful locker room, blaming age rather than any lasting pain for his toiling.

“It’s all good,” Towns said. “Twenty-nine [years old] is just a little different. I’m not going to lie to you.”

Sunday marked Towns’ first game as a 29-year-old, as he celebrated his birthday on Friday, shortly after the Knicks wrapped up a 124-122 win over the same Nets.

Despite Towns’ enthusiasm, the Knicks might have a decision to make regarding his immediate availability: Towns has been wearing blue in all the wrong ways, as his Friday absence stemmed from a knee-to-knee collision with Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine during the penultimate minute of the latter’s visit on Wednesday. There isn’t much time for the Knicks to rest, as the reeling Washington Wizards arrive for a homestand-conclusion on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, head coach Tom Thibodeau played his cards close to the chest, reasoning that he rested Towns to counter a smaller Brooklyn lineup present for the final seven-plus minutes. Towns was a bit more demonstrative, implying that he’ll be taking the floor if it’s up to him.

“That’s always the plan, to play,” Towns said. “I’m going to do everything I can to play. It just didn’t work out for me [on Friday] and that’s unfortunate because I would’ve loved to play in front of my family. But God is good on a Sunday.”

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