The New York Knicks advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup against the Atlanta Hawks, and Karl-Anthony Towns was trying his hardest to help them advance to the semifinals with an NBA history-making stat line.
Karl-Anthony Towns made NBA history with his numbers in the first half of the Knicks’ NBA cup quarterfinal game against the Hawks with ten points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocked shots. Since the 1996-97 season when tracking first began, Towns is the first player to reach these numbers in a half.
The Knicks were going to need more of that type of production from Towns as they found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter against the Hawks.
But that stat-line is an example of the type of production the Knicks have gotten from their new star. Towns was acquired via a shocking trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason. So far, he’s fit in well as a complimentary star alongside Jalen Brunson. The trade also reunited Towns with Tom Thibodeau who coached him for a couple of seasons in Minnesota.
Towns has appeared in 22 games for the Knicks this season at a little over 33 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 25.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shots with splits of 53.1 percent shooting from the field, 44.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Heading into the elimination round of the NBA Cup, the Knicks held a record of 15-9 and are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Related New York Knicks NewsArticle continues below
Last season, the Knicks finished with the second best record in the East behind only the Boston Celtics. They defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the first round before falling to the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Knicks are hoping that their playoff ceiling has been raised with the addition of Towns. Towns’ rebounds and three-point percentage are both career-highs while his points per game ties his second-highest career mark.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">David Yapkowitz is a basketball journalist for ClutchPoints, writing news on the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Basketball for both men and women. The Los Angeles native has bylines with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation, and The Next Hoops.