Karl-Anthony Towns bounces back and leads Knicks to 2-1 series lead over Pistons

All the while, Towns remained a nonparticipant. “It’s very tough when there’s definitely one ball,” Brunson said. “We have a lot of great players on this team and definitely it’s on my shoulders. … It’s on me to make sure I set the table. So I’ll go back, and I’ll figure out what I need to do.” -via New York Times / April 23, 2025

From the first possession of this series, veteran forward Tobias Harris has guarded Towns. A center, often Jalen Duren, takes Hart. And during these fights with the Pistons, what was once a blemish that only basketball geeks could brag about noticing has become obvious to anyone who could read Towns’ shot total during Game 2’s fourth quarter. “He’s getting touches. He’s making the right play,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “If he’s getting double-teamed, I don’t want him to shoot the ball over three people.” -via New York Times / April 23, 2025

Brunson also missed a wide-open three on the Knicks’ following possession. New York would have trailed by just one with less than six seconds left in regulation had the All-Star guard’s shot fallen. “JB had a walk-up three, ‘Kal had an open three. We’re living with that,” Hart continued. “‘Kal’s a guy that puts the work in, so we’re comfortable and confident with him taking that shot and we’ll live with the result . “I’m rocking with him until the end. When he shot that I thought it was good. Sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in.” Karl-Anthony Towns also thought Bridges was money with the game on the line. Bridges made a shot from the same exact spot to lift the Knicks to a wild March 12 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Towns echoed the same sentiment as others on the team: full trust in Bridges’ abilities to deliver under pressure. “We all saw what happened in Portland, so he doesn’t need much space to get a game-winner going,” Towns said at his locker after the game. “He had a great look, JB got a great look. So you live with those shots.” -via New York Daily News / April 22, 2025