Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby each score 27 as Knicks beat Raptors to halt three-game skid
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns goes up for a dunk against the Toronto Raptors in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
While the Knicks may be judged by measuring sticks, wondering if they are as good as they looked in the recent nine-game winning streak or what went wrong on the three-game losing streak that they carried into Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.
One thing was clear by the time the clock ticked down to the final buzzer Wednesday night, the Knicks look a lot better when Karl-Anthony Towns is in uniform.
After a lifeless performance Monday beset with shooting woes while he rested his sort right knee, Towns was back in the lineup and delivering 27 points and 13 rebounds, combining with 27 points from OG Anunoby against his former team, to lead the Knicks past the Toronto Raptors, 112-98.
With the win the Knicks snapped their season-worst skid and set themselves up for Friday night’s rematch with Oklahoma City, the team that started the Knicks on the three-game slide.
“We were focused,” Jalen Brunson said. “We were determined to bounce back from the way we did. And we know that it’s unacceptable and we hold each other accountable when it comes to that. And just happy with the way we responded and we just have to build off that.”
All of the Knicks problems weren’t solved and they didn’t need to be against the Raptors, a team that has finally gotten all of its pieces back but remains near the bottom of the standings at 8-29. Mikal Bridges shot just 4-for-18 (2-for-11 from three). Jalen Brunson was just 1-for-4 from beyond the arc and had 13 points.
RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, making their return to New York for a second time, led Toronto with 16 and 22 points respectively
But Towns set the tone, hitting all five of his field-goal attempts in the first half and finishing 9-for-14 — including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Anunoby shot 8-for-13, shaking off recent shooting woes. Josh Hart added 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
“I thought we did a good job of executing,” Towns said. “I’ve talked a lot to y’all about Knicks basketball. I think for us we’re at our best when we’re getting turnovers and converting them into points. So I thought we did a great job of doing that. We got some big rebounds, pushed the pace.
“There’s things I wished I could have done better, some shots I wish I could get back. I’m not really worried about me, I’m worried about the team. We had a three-game skid, for us to find our way today and for me to be able to play, I’m just happy we were able to get this win.”
What Towns was most excited about was doing this with Patrick Ewing sitting in the front row. The two made eye contact after some of Towns shots which were reminiscent of what Ewing did at the Garden for so long.
“It’s crazy,” Town said. “He played against my dad when they were playing in their days in college. It’s crazy to be in a place where he’s made such magical moments and to be able to have him sitting courtside watching me play the little kid in me is jumping for joy. I’m really honored, I’m blessed to have this opportunity.”
With 5:21 left, the Knicks up 24 and Anunoby at the line, fans started a chant of, “Tyler Kolek,” but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau ignored that, having just reinserted Brunson into the game. Thibodeau finally emptied the bench with 2:27 to play with the Knicks leading by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter.
You will never get Brunson to admit to an excuse, injury or otherwise, to explain away a loss or his own struggles. And admittedly, he doesn’t lose or struggle often.
But as he has worked his way through a problematic right calf, it has coincided with an uncharacteristic shooting slump. In his last three games since returning from a game missed with what the Knicks called right calf tightness Brunson has shot just 1-for-10 from three-point range. Add in the game he was listed as questionable but played before sitting the next game and it is 2-for-16 over a four-game span. In his last eight games, he is 5-for-39 from three, shooting 21% overall and 12.8% from three.
“It just hasn’t been going in the hoop,” Brunson said.
“Ebbs and flows to it,” Thibodeau said. “I think there’s going to be stretches where it’s the other way too. Just take good shots, shoot them well. Some have gone in and out on him. That’s part of the game.”
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.
