The New York Knicks cooled off last Saturday after suffering an upset 120-111 loss at Madison Square Garden at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. However, star big man Karl-Anthony Towns did not suit up in that contest for New York because of a sore right knee.
New York will be looking to rebound from that loss to Detroit this Monday night when the Knicks visit Scotiabank Arena for their first meeting with the Toronto Raptors in the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Towns could potentially return to action in this contest. With that said, here's everything we know about Karl-Anthony Towns' injury and his playing status vs. the Raptors.
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Karl-Anthony Towns injury status vs. Raptors
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks the ball as Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden.
© John Jones-Imagn Images
At the time of this writing, Towns is labeled questionable to play versus the Raptors due to right patellar tendinopathy, per the NBA's official injury report. Also carrying a questionable tag is Knicks backup point guard Cam Payne, who is dealing with a left elbow issue.
Karl-Anthony Towns is easily one of the most important cogs in the Knicks machine in the 2024-25 NBA season. He is second on the team in scoring with an average of 25.2 points per game while shooting at an excellent clip of 53.1 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from behind the arc.
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Towns' ability to score efficiently in a number of ways, different points of attack, and nearly anywhere from the floor is a big reason why New York is seventh in the league heading into Monday night with 118.0 points per outing. In addition, the Knicks are second overall so far in the 2024-25 NBA regular season with a 58.3 effective field goal percentage. When Towns is on the court, the Knicks have a 122.6 offensive rating. When he's off the floor, New York is making just 113.8 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks have a net rating of 9.9 with Towns on the floor and just 2.9 when he's on the bench.
If Towns can't give it a go again, Jericho Sims might get another chance to start just like he did in the Pistons game, though, he only saw action for six minutes in it. Meanwhile, Precious Achiuwa came off the bench against Detroit and posted six points with 10 rebounds in 28 minutes of action.
So, when it comes to the question of if Karl-Anthony Townsis playing tonight vs. the Raptors, the answer is probably.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.