Mike Brown Has High Praise for Karl-Anthony Towns After Win Over Bucks

Rebounding questions keep coming up around the New York Knicks because center Karl-Anthony Towns keeps giving people a reason to ask them.

After a 117-85 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, head coach Mike Brown was asked about the rebounding from Towns, and his answer had little to do with effort.

Towns finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds in 27 minutes, which gave him a double-double in each of his first 10 games this season.

He did it on a night when his shot was off, as he went 5-for-14 from the field and 2-for-9 from three.

Brown said after the game that Towns gets those rebounds with feel more than with leaping ability.

"He's just got a nose or a knack for the ball. You know he doesn't jump real high, but he's long, and he understands angles."

Brown also said the Knicks stress rebounding quite a bit, and that when the smaller players around Towns box out, he is left in a one-on-one contest that he will win most of the time.

The box score backed that up, as center Andre Drummond grabbed 14 rebounds off the bench and he and Towns combined for 30.

Guard Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and forward OG Anunoby added 19, while guard Tyler Kolek chipped in with 12 off the bench.

Brown sounded very different just two weeks ago, when he had to challenge Towns on the glass during the win over Detroit on Oct. 27, and Towns answered with 27 points and 20 rebounds.

Towns is now averaging 20.9 points and 13.8 rebounds, and he has not had fewer than 10 rebounds in any game.

His steady rebounding is a big reason why the Knicks have turned things around after an 0-3 start, as they are now 6-4 and fourth in the Eastern Conference with four straight wins that all came by double digits.

The win does need some context, because the Bucks are 1-10 and played without guard Tyler Herro, their leading scorer.

The Knicks were short-handed too, though, as wing Josh Hart was listed on the injury report and missed a third straight game, and that puts more of the rebounding load on Towns and Drummond while he is out.

The blowout also helped because no starter reached 30 minutes with a back-to-back on the schedule.

The Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, just four days after a 109-97 win in Cleveland on Saturday, and the Cavaliers come in at 5-6 with two straight losses.

Towns' rebounding is the most dependable thing the Knicks have, and I believe it will last because of Brown's explanation for it.

As long as the guards keep boxing out, Towns should keep controlling the glass, and that gives the Knicks a way to win games even when the shots are not falling.