Looking to expand their winning streak to three games, the New York Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden to face the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, following a road victory against the Philadelphia 76ers that provided them with some much-needed confidence.

While the win over the 76ers saw good performances from several Knicks players, that wasn't the case for Karl-Anthony Towns, who played 16 minutes before fouling out. It's been a rough stretch for the All-NBA center, and that continued on during the team's 103-87 victory over the Kings on Tuesday night.

The Knicks and Kings entered the fourth quarter of Tuesday's contest tied at 72 apiece, with the Knicks looking to avoid a loss that could set them back despite two big wins prior.

After starting the quarter 2-for-7 from the field, the Knicks called a timeout and subbed Towns out of the game at the 6:51 mark, holding an 82-78 lead, and he never returned to the court. Both Josh Hart and Towns sat for the remainder of the game at that point, with Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride helping secure the win.

The Knicks went on a 21-9 run to end the game after that, so it was clearly a smart move by the coaching staff. However, with Towns being one of the best centers in the NBA over the last few years, it raised some concerns that one of their highest-paid players spent the end of the game on the bench.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Towns was straight to the point with his response, answering with a smile on his face.

"[Mike Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win. That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about - is wins," Towns said.

This was the latest in what has been a poor stretch of play for Towns, who's averaging 13.7 points and playing just 21 minutes a night during this three-game winning streak. Whether or not his lack of play is correlated to wins on the court, it's not a good sign to see from a player making $53.1 million this season.

Factor in Giannis Antetokounmpo's name being floated around on the trade block and Towns being a likely trade candidate in the event the Knicks pursue him, perhaps the multi-time All-Star is distracted by the situation around him that he can't control.

New York returns to action on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors, and if Towns continues to see a lack of play, there could be a legit reason to be concerned about his output for the remainder of the season.