NEW YORK — In a crucial, nearly seven-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, with the New York Knicks trailing the Indiana Pacers and desperately needing to score, Karl-Anthony Towns was on the bench.
Just a couple of hours before that, the Knicks’ big man was named to the All-NBA third team, voted on by 100 media members who cover the league, for averaging 24.4 points, grabbing a career-high 12.8 rebounds and shooting a career-best 42.0 percent from 3 during the regular season.
Though both true, these two pieces of Towns’ Friday evening don’t match. A player that good just shouldn’t be on the bench for that long near the end of such an important game.
And yet, there was Towns, a five-time All-Star (including this season), subbing out with nine minutes left and the Knicks trailing by 9 to the Pacers. He did not return until there was 2:25 to go and New York was still down 9. Reserve center Mitchell Robinson, a defensive stud who, we can say, has offensive issues, was on the court in Towns’ place.
The Knicks made it close — very close — in those final 145 seconds with Towns back on the floor, but still lost 114-109 and trail the Pacers 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.
“Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked to explain his decision to sit Towns for much of the fourth quarter. “So we were just riding (that lineup). We’re searching for a win.”
Asked whether it was tough to be on the bench for that particular period in the fourth quarter, a frustrated Towns took the high road.
“It’s tough to lose, anyway,” he said. “So we just gotta regroup together for the next one.”
Towns scored 20 points and added seven rebounds in 28 minutes, which doesn’t look so bad. The Knicks were outscored by 20 points when he was on the floor, though that stat can be misleading because it doesn’t factor in who else was on the court with him. But the Pacers, one of the league’s fastest teams and who typically play five capable 3-point shooters at a time, were hunting Towns on defense in the second half in an attempt to put him in pick-and-roll mismatches against Tyrese Haliburton. Towns also shot just 6-of-14 from the field and was pulled after he missed a 12-footer.
“We’re just not executing enough,” Towns said. “It comes down to execution, and I’m just not doing enough of that.”
Towns was coming off a positive Game 1 individual performance in which he put up 35 points with 12 boards in a devastating overtime loss. In that game, the Knicks outscored the Pacers by 9 with Towns on the floor. The Pacers played smaller lineups more often in Game 2, which forced Towns to defend more in space. Asked about this part of Towns’ game — his struggles to defend in the open court, where the Pacers love to play — Thibodeau only said, “Just keep working at it.”
Indiana played regular center Myles Turner the entire fourth quarter, and he thrived against Towns and Robinson, scoring 13 of his 16 points in that final frame. Robinson, meanwhile, finished with 6 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, including an impressive swat from behind on Haliburton with 7:41 left.
Robinson appeared to injure his ankle on the play when he landed on Haliburton. He was hobbling but remained in the game until Thibodeau went back to Towns at the 2:25 mark.
When Towns returned, OG Anunoby connected on a second free throw to trim the Knicks’ deficit to 8 points. Jalen Brunson followed with a 3-pointer to make it a 5-point game, then made a 6-foot shot to trim it to a 3-point deficit. Josh Hart’s layup made it 110-109 Pacers with 14.7 seconds to go, but the Pacers converted their next four foul shots, and Brunson missed a 3-pointer at the top of the key that would’ve tied the score.
Statistically, Towns was not a part of the Knicks’ late rally, but he was at least present for it. When New York pulled a massive trade to acquire Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in October, mere months after Towns’ run to the West finals with the Timberwolves, it planned for him to be much more than merely on the court at the end of big games. The Knicks acquired him to play like an All-Star and All-NBA honoree, to help lead a deep playoff run. Though all those things happened, there was a pretty big wrinkle Friday night.
“We need him to be aggressive offensively. We need him to be locked in and communicate defensively,” Hart said when asked generally what the Knicks need from Towns. “That’s all we need from him. Need him to communicate at a high level.”
To be fair to Towns, Hart also sat for a large stretch in the fourth quarter after a tough night. Mikal Bridges, not Towns, has the worst plus-minus for New York in this series, with the Knicks being outscored by 22 when Bridges is on the floor.
But it was Towns — not Bridges — whom Thibodeau went away from in a crucial fourth quarter Friday.
“If I’ve learned anything, especially last year (with the Timberwolves), as quick as you win two games is as quick as you could lose two games,” Towns said. “So I just think on my experience, and we just got to execute at a higher level (in Game 3).”
(Photo: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
