Knicks Look To Do Better Job Involving Karl-Anthony Towns Late vs. Spurs

The New York Knicks had an NBA Finals sweep right in their sights as things went down to the wire in Game 3 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. But importantly for the San Antonio Spurs, they were able to do what they struggled to do through Games 1 and 2, which was to close them out. That script flipped a bit in their road win as a star disappeared for the Knicks, one who must get back to his first two performances to regain the momentum in the series before it heads back to San Antonio.

That would be New York center Karl Anthony-Towns, who went scoreless in the fourth quarter for the third game straight. The difference this time was that it finally cost his squad as they snapped their 13-game playoff winning streak. Playmaker Jalen Brunson masked some of those late game deficits in their first two wins, but neither he nor the Knicks’ stout defense came in clutch this time.

The numbers back that up, as New York is 13-1 through two postseasons when Towns had four-plus assists. He is averaging three assists per game through the series. On Monday, he had 11 points, 8 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and just one assist through 38 minutes of play. The aggressiveness of his play has been hamstrung by the swarming defense San Antonio has deployed.

To read more about the state of New York through three games and what a bounce back will take, here is the full story from Knicks Roundtable writer Grant Mona.

Knicks coach Mike Brown was the first to take accountability, noting that he’ll have to better design Towns’ involvement, and not just late in crunch time. And while there’s no panic in the locker room led by veteran leadership, New York must be real careful not to drop a consecutive one and let San Antonio grab all the momentum and run with it on Wednesday night.