New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau benched star Karl-Anthony Towns for an extended stretch in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Towns checked out of the game with nine minutes remaining but only returned with 2:25 remaining. When heading to the bench, Towns was a minus-24 in the game. Backup center Mitchell Robinson was having a terrific impact on the game and was a plus-6 in 29 minutes.
The Indiana Pacers went on to defeat the Knicks 114-109 to take a 2-0 series lead. Towns finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
“Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” Thibodeau said. “So we were just riding (that lineup). We’re searching for a win.”
Towns was named to the All-NBA Third Team on Friday, ahead of Game 2. Earlier in the season, he was named an All-Star for a fifth time. He averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds while shooting 42 percent from three.
When asked about being benched, Towns steered clear and focused on the team.
“It’s tough to lose, anyway,” he said. “So we just gotta regroup together for the next one.”
Having lost both games at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks are now in deep trouble heading to Indiana.
Game 3 is Sunday at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Thibodeau Forced To Choose Between Offense/Defense
While Towns has certainly been a positive on the offensive side of the ball, he has been hunted defensively.
There is a glaring number of pick-and-roll actions he’s had to defend where he’s either too high or too low and giving the Pacers advantages. To Indiana’s credit, it’s a team that is so good at identifying these opportunities and punishing in cold blooded fashion.
“We need him to be aggressive offensively. We need him to be locked in and communicate defensively,” Josh Hart said when asked what the Knicks need from Towns. “That’s all we need from him. Need him to communicate at a high level.”
Perhaps the biggest difference in this series defensively is that the Knicks have one player they can hunt in Tyrese Haliburton while New York has two. Indiana has also been happy to target Jalen Brunson whenever they can.
Hunting Haliburton is tough because he’s surrounded by four plus-defenders at all times.
Still, at the end of the day, the Knicks did a lot right in Game 1 before collapsing down the stretch and had a chance to tie the game late in Game 2.
It’s not as if New York has looked completely out of its depth like the Minnesota Timberwolves have against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Win Game 3 and the momentum changes. You can’t win two games before you win one.
