Towns and the Knicks need to always play like they did on Wednesday.
The New York Knicks needed somebody to step up on Wednesday night in Memphis, and Karl-Anthony Towns answered the call in a big way.
With Jalen Brunson sitting out due to right ankle soreness, Towns carried the load and finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 130-119 win over the Grizzlies that snapped a three-game losing streak and moved New York to 49-28 on the season.
It was Towns' fourth triple-double of the year, and it came in the kind of game where teams usually try to throw everything at him when the Knicks' lead ball-handler is unavailable.
After the game, Towns talked about what goes through his mind when defenses start sending extra bodies his way, and the answer was about as selfless as you can get from a guy capable of scoring 30 on any given night.
"When they're double and triple teaming, I understand that one of my teammates is open," Towns said. "Just staying patient, staying relaxed and trying to make the right play. I was disappointed with the turnovers I had today, but I'm glad that I was able to find my teammates more than not and we were able to come out with a win."
Towns Has Been Rolling Lately
The triple-double was a nice highlight, but it was not some kind of random explosion from Towns either.
He has been one of the more consistent players in the league all season long, averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field.
And over his last handful of games he has looked even more locked in, posting back-to-back 26-point double-doubles against Brooklyn and Washington before Wednesday's all-around effort in Memphis.
What makes nights like this so encouraging is that Towns did not force things even when the Grizzlies were loading up on him.
He let the game come to him, found open shooters when the defense collapsed, and still grabbed 11 boards against a Memphis team that got outrebounded 49-20 on the night.
OG Anunoby led New York with 25 points and 13 rebounds while Mikal Bridges chipped in 24, which is the balanced scoring Towns was talking about when he mentioned finding his teammates.
What This Means for the Playoffs
The Knicks sit third in the Eastern Conference and have already clinched a playoff spot, but the real question heading into the postseason is whether Towns can sustain this level of playmaking when it matters most.
Tracy McGrady recently pointed out that Towns has the talent to be un-guardable if he wants it, and nights like Wednesday show what that looks like in practice.
When Brunson comes back healthy, defenses will not be able to load up on Towns the same way, which should open up even more of his scoring.
But playoff teams will scheme for the Knicks and throw doubles at Towns every chance they get, especially in late-game situations where one bad turnover can swing a series.
Towns admitted he was not happy with his turnovers against Memphis, and that self-awareness will matter when the pressure ramps up.
If he can keep making the right reads out of those traps and trust his teammates the way he did Wednesday night, the Knicks become a lot harder to game plan against in a seven-game series.
New York hosts the Chicago Bulls on Friday night looking to build on the momentum.