Karl-Anthony Towns’ score is down, but he’s supplementing the box score in other ways.
He recorded 20 rebounds in the Knicks’ 127-97 win over the Trail Blazers on Friday night at Madison Square Garden — six on the offensive glass.
In his last two games, Towns has grabbed a whopping 42 rebounds, 13 of which were offensive.
“To me, that’s what great players do,” coach Mike Brown said. “They influence the game in many different ways. For him there are 22.” [rebounds] against Toronto and 20 tonight, double-double, that was huge because six of them were offensive rebounds and we beat them [in second chance points]and they are a very, very, very good offensive, rebounding team.”
The score production and efficiency of the cities are lower across the board this year than last year. Lately he has sometimes been on the bench at the end of games.
He is constantly in big trouble.
But he continues to dominate the glass. He also made a point of looking for quick outlets after rebounds, which put the Knicks in transition.
“The rebounding, what he’s done the last couple games, it’s been great,” Jalen Brunson said. “That’s what we need from him, that’s what he brings to the table. Offensively, when the ball doesn’t go in as much as it should, he finds a way to influence the game. I think that’s very important for us. Big performance for him.”
The Knicks were without Miles McBride again on Friday. He missed his second game in a row.
They have it listed as left ankle injury management. Brown said it was a precaution after McBride missed eight games earlier this season with a sprained left ankle.
He is averaging 12.9 points per game this year on 43.4 percent shooting from the field and 42.0 percent from three-point range.
That kind of fiscal management under Brown this year is a departure from Tom Thibodeau.
This was most obvious with Mitchell Robinson, who has played fourteen games for load management this year. Brunson, Josh Hart, Towns and OG Anunoby have also missed games for load management.
Jordan Clarkson was the only active Knick not to participate in the game.
Brunson eclipsed 10,000 points on Friday.
Dillon Jones, who the Knicks signed to a two-way contract on Jan. 20, was available for the first time on Friday. He began his Knicks tenure in the G-League.
He played the last four minutes and hit a three-pointer.
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