The Knicks received numerous contributions from up-and-down their new-look lineup during Wednesday night’s thrilling win over the Heat, but none was bigger than the one they got from Karl-Anthony Towns.
MSG’s Mike Breen said that he overheard Towns saying pregame that he’s loved playing in Miami throughout his career, and that certainly showed in this one.
After attempting just eight shots during Monday’s disappointing home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the All-Star center bounced back in a big way as he put together easily his most impressive effort of the young season.
Towns helped the Knicks keep pace with the red-hot shooting Heat early on as he got Miami big man Bam Adebayo into foul trouble and knocked down five of his first eight shots for 12 first quarter points — and he just continued dominating from there.
Even when the rest of New York’s offense found their way, it was the big man who stepped up and knocked down a pair of big shots down the stretch to help them pull out the thrilling victory to open the road trip.
Towns finished with a game-high 44 points on 17-of-25 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from behind the arc while reeling in 12 rebounds across 39 minutes.
“I was just being aggressive out there,” he said on MSG postgame. “My teammates found me in great spots. Thanks to them and the coaching staff for putting me in great spots to utilize my talent. I just wanted to repay both of their trust in me.”
Towns has had a bit of an up-and-down start in the first four games of his Knicks career, but Wednesday’s dominating effort was exactly what they envisioned when they acquired in a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After watching this team grind out wins over the past couple of seasons, the New Jersey native is excited to be able to embrace that culture now — with this rivalry win being the first example of the season.
“I’ve been watching from far away, this team is gritty,” he said. “They find a way to win and they never quit. So we’re just bringing that New York mentality every single night, that’s something that when you’re playing in it you get to recognize and be part of that culture.”
