Knicks need Karl-Anthony Towns to quickly shake off the rust in Jalen Brunson's absence
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns gestures after scoring during the second half of an NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in Inglewood, Calif. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
LOS ANGELES — When the game was over Friday night at the Intuit Dome, and as his teammates streamed to the locker room, Karl-Anthony Towns stopped along the baseline, offering hugs and handshakes and handing his jersey to a family.
It was the husband and children of his close friend, Sarah Holtzman, who died after a battle with breast cancer, and whose funeral he had attended Tuesday here in Los Angeles. Towns’ longtime girlfriend Jordyn Woods spoke at the funeral. For Towns, it was a moment away from the work on the court and odd struggles he found himself in this week.
But while mourning the loss, he became embroiled in a bizarre controversy when Golden State’s Draymond Green went on his podcast and accused Towns of skipping Tuesday’s game in New York against Golden State because he didn’t want to face Jimmy Butler.
After Green was informed of where Towns was, he offered a half-hearted apology that was more a promotion of his podcast. The damage done was magnified when Towns stepped to the free-throw line at the Intuit Dome and was subjected to chants of, “Jimmy Butler,” from the Clippers crowd.
“For me it was a little tougher having to open old wounds up to be there for her kids who lost their mother,” Towns said afterward. “I know how that is. Two boys losing their mothers, I know the feeling. So to open my old wounds to support them and help them through that process, it’s a lot.”
He has ignored the Draymond mess, refusing to speak about it, but it’s hard to avoid the chatter and his teammates have seen it.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Josh Hart said. “A lot of you guys forget that we’re humans. A lot of you guys look at us like we’re a little animal in the petting zoo . . . and you all forget that we’re actual people, that we have real-life traumas and problems and we have to navigate.
“We give him a lot of credit. We’re there for him. I think everyone has to keep that in mind when people say stupid things when they don’t understand. We’re humans.”
More pressing for Towns and the Knicks right now is getting Towns back in form with the added load of making up for the absence of Jalen Brunson who will be sidelined at least two weeks and probably longer with the sprained right ankle he suffered Thursday.
Towns had 23 points and 10 rebounds Friday in the loss to the Clippers, but those numbers are below his season average and the Knicks need more now. But between a knee issue which sidelined him six games ago and having to leave the team to attend the funeral he has lost the rhythm he was in for much of the season.
In the four games he’s played in those last six he is averaging just 16.3 points on 37.5% shooting overall and 27.3% from beyond the arc.
“Just knock the rust off and get back to the game,” Towns said. “I was in a better head space today than I was yesterday so basketball has been therapeutic for me. It’s good to be out there.
“Just get some shots up and getting back into that rhythm. It’s honestly just getting some reps. Obviously missed some time for family reasons and haven’t been able to touch a basketball so it was good to get back out there and get some shots up.”
“He’s still finding his rhythm,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Time off and so we got to get him into rhythm. He’s got to work at it.”
What the Knicks have to be cautious about and perhaps saw in this first game without Brunson is hero ball. That would be Towns or some other player trying to make up for Brunson’s scoring by putting that weight on their own shoulders.
The Knicks trailed 90-85 with 7:09 to play Friday after a Precious Achiuwa three-point play, but would score just 10 points the rest of the way, shooting 5-for-16 with three turnovers. With the Knicks down seven at one point Towns misfired on a 30-foot three-point attempt with 20 seconds left on the shot clock and a 28-foot attempt on the next possession.
“I want to take a look at the film to see why it happened,” Thibodeau said. “Guys want to win. So sometimes it can be misguided where you want to win so bad and you have to do it within the context of the framework and the teamwork.
“He’s a gifted offensive player and I’m not going to measure every shot that he takes. If he thinks it’s open, I want him to be aggressive and I want him to attack. So he got time off and now he’s got to get back into rhythm. He’ll be in rhythm. We know how good he is.”
Van Gundy's defense an excuse
While the Knicks offense failed in the first game without Brunson, besting their season-low point total by one, they were facing a Clippers defense which is ranked No. 4 in the NBA and much of the credit has gone to former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, who joined on as an assistant coach this season in Los Angeles.
After a long run off the bench and serving as a top television analyst Van Gundy has quickly found his footing. One scout said, “Van Gundy should be in the MVP race this season.”
Perimeter defense problems
The Knicks have allowed breakout performances from beyond the arc of late (see Gabe Vincent and Nic Batum in the last two games) but it is part of a troubling trend. When it was pointed out that Knicks are allowing a league-worst 39.9% shooting from three since Jan. 1, there was no answer for exactly why.
“I think it’s a little bit of [luck and our defense],” Hart said. “Honestly, we’re going to get people’s best shots. But we’ve got to make sure we start the game off well, physical, into the ball, and not let them get into a rhythm. No matter who it is when teams are in a rhythm, it’s tough to stop. We have to make sure we come out aggressive, come out contesting shots. And making them miss.”
Asked if he felt it on the court as the shots were raining down, Hart said, “Nah, what did they shoot today?” Pointed out that the Clippers had shot 39% Hart shook his head.
“I didn’t think they shot that well,” he said. “I guess that answers your question.”
Roster updates
The Knicks plan to sign veteran PJ Tucker to a 10-day contract according to a league source. t he Tucker is expected to join the team on the current five-game road trip. He was traded from the Clippers to Utah, then again dealt last month to Toronto before his release on Feb. 28 so that he could join a contender . . . After flying to join the team after a G League assignment Tyler Kolek will be with the Knicks at practice Sunday and active for the final three games of the road trip. Kolek will provide insurance at point guard . . . Mitchell Robinson sat out a scheduled game Friday on the second night of a back-to-back set . . . Recently-acquired two-way contract players MarJon Beauchamp and Anton Watson are with the team and on the active roster but have yet to appear in a game with the Knicks. Delon Wright also has played just 13 minutes since being acquired at the trade deadline last month.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
