The New York Knicks have been great with player health this postseason, but an injury to a very important player has arisen with the team down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns will be listed as questionable for Game 5 with a left knee contusion, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns questionable for Game 5 with knee injury
Towns suffered the knee injury late in the fourth quarter of Game 4, when he banged knees with Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith defending a hard drive to the basket. Towns would stay in the game and finish it out but not without a noticeable limp.
NBA: Playoffs-New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
He finished the game with 24 points and 12 rebounds while playing 37 minutes. He has been a key piece for New York’s offense this postseason, and it would be a major loss if he can’t play in what will be the Knicks’ first elimination game of the playoffs.
New York has experimented with a different starting lineup with Towns’ struggles at center defensively. In the past two games, Mitchell Robinson has started at center, with Towns at the four, but the defensive problems persisted in Game 4, as the Pacers scored 130 points and shot over 51% from the floor and 40% from three-point range.
Knicks need to be prepared for him to not play
NBA: Playoffs-New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
If he can’t play, they will badly miss his offense, but the defense should improve. Jalen Brunson would have to take bigger command of the scoring load if Towns was not able to play, and they would need him to give them all he’s got with their season on the line.
More will be known about Towns’ status shortly before tip off, which is set for 8 P.M. EST Thursday at Madison Square Garden.