The Celtics got a big win on Sunday afternoon over the Knicks but New York came out of the game with more concerns than the loss itself. Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to suffer a left knee injury in the fourth quarter while attempting a dunk on Boston center Kristaps Porzingis.
Towns left the game shortly after the injury and was examined by team trainers on the bench. He returned to the game a few minutes later in the fourth quarter but was limping for the majority of his final stint in Boston’s 118-105 win.
Towns played a game-high 41 minutes in the contest, leading the Knicks with 24 points and 18 rebounds in the setback. After the loss, he tried to downplay the injury to reporters.
“It’s good,” Towns said. “We’ll see how the next couple games are.”
The game was largely decided once Towns re-entered with four minutes remaining after suffering the injury but the big man appeared to want to set the tone with his teammates despite the ailment.
“I always want to play,” Towns said. “My teammates are out there fighting and I’m gonna go out there and fight with them.”
The Knicks should be getting some frontcourt in the next week or two with the return of center Mitchell Robinson but heavy minutes loads on their starters like Towns appear to be adding up. OG Anunoby missed seven games with a foot injury in the past month while Josh Hart was sidelined for four games with a knee injury.
Towns will get a chance for some rest with two days off before the Knicks next game on Wednesday night against the 76ers. However, any absence would loom large for a Knicks team short on depth and facing an uphill climb in chasing the Celtics for the No. 2 seed. They dropped to four games back in the standings after losing on Sunday and also have lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Boston.
Despite those struggles against a conference rival, Towns remained confident in his team after the setback.
“I said from the beginning of the season, we’re gonna be a work in progress all year until the day we step into the postseason and we have to put all the cards on the table,” Towns said. “Every team in the NBA will tell you the same thing. We’re all a work in progress until the postseason when you put all the chips and cards and see what the season taught you.”
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