Towns gutted another one out after dealing with family matters.
Karl-Anthony Towns was not supposed to be at Barclays Center on Friday night.
His father, Karl Sr., was recovering from a medical procedure, and Towns had spent the day away from the team at his side.
He was listed as questionable for personal reasons just hours before tip-off, and it sounded like he was going to sit the game out entirely.
But his father had other plans.
"Shoutout to my Pops…I didn't think I was gonna play…I know you watching Pops, love you, know you recovering…Not going to lie, I had a very long day…wasn't with the team…showed up just to play…He wanted me to come play," Towns said after the game on the MSG broadcast.
Towns Delivers When It Matters Most
Towns showed up late, suited up, and then went out and dominated the game with 26 points and 15 rebounds in just 29 minutes.
He shot 7-of-16 from the field and got to the free throw line 13 times, converting 11 of those attempts as he bullied his way through the Brooklyn frontcourt all night long.
It was his 49th double-double of the season, which leads the NBA, and the type of performance that the Knicks have needed from him all year long.
The win was not pretty by any means.
New York committed a season-high 22 turnovers and had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the first half before building a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter that they almost completely gave away.
The Nets, who are 17-53 on the season and already eliminated from playoff contention, pushed the Knicks to the absolute brink behind 22 points from Josh Minott off the bench.
Brooklyn was physical from the opening tip, and head coach Mike Brown admitted afterward that Nets coach Jordi Fernandez outcoached him in a lot of areas.
A Gutsy Win for New York
Jalen Brunson returned to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday's win over Indiana and finished with 17 points and eight assists, though he shot just 7-of-19 from the field and struggled from three-point range at 1-of-6.
It was not his best night, but his ability to facilitate and find teammates down the stretch helped New York close the door in a game that had no business being as tight as it was.
The 93-92 final pushed the Knicks to 46-25 on the season and extended their winning streak to five games as they continue to hold the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this season while Brunson continues to carry the offense at 26.2 points and 6.5 assists, giving New York one of the best duos in the East heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
For a team that has dealt with inconsistency and adversity throughout the year, Friday's game was a reminder that this group finds ways to win even when things are far from perfect.
Towns played through one of the toughest days of his season and still managed to be the best player on the floor, and that says a lot about where his head is at as the playoffs approach.
New York hosts the Washington Wizards on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.