Mike Brown’s key sub decision pays off in Knicks comeback

Karl-Anthony Towns was on the bench as the Knicks changed the course of the game.

He sat out most of the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 126-124 victory over the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday afternoon as coach Mike Brown went to work with Mitchell Robinson instead of him.

Robinson came on for Towns with 7:43 left in the fourth quarter with the Knicks trailing by 13.

Towns didn’t check back in for Robinson until the 3:07 mark, with the Knicks leading by two.

“Everyone understands what our standard is: It’s about sacrifice,” Brown said. “KAT sat for most of the fourth round, but he was still in the game. You could tell because he had the biggest offensive rebound during the game. He was mentally into it and understood that, ‘Hey, Mitch is playing ball. I’m going to sit here and cheer on my teammates. When my number is called, I’m ready to go.’

“It’s about connectivity. Our group is extremely, extremely connected. It’s about a competitive spirit.”

When Towns reentered the game, his key putback layup gave the Knicks a four-point lead with 27.3 seconds left.

But before that, he had been largely ineffective, finishing with just 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field, missing both threes he took.

Robinson’s offensive rebounding ability, meanwhile, was crucial to the Knicks’ comeback.

He got four in the fourth quarter and finished with eight in the game. Those four offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter resulted in three 3-pointers by the Knicks (two by Tyler Kolek, one by Jalen Brunson) – nine more points on the scoreboard.

“When the game gets so close and you need some energy, you have to crash the glass and get offensive rebounds as best you can,” Robinson said. “Help the team win.”

Robinson’s ability to impact the offense without scoring is almost unmatched in the league. He didn’t score on Thursday, but the Knicks’ season-high 17-point comeback isn’t happening without him.

“With all the guys, you see them from afar, you think certain things about them,” Brown said. “You think, ‘He’s this type of player, that type of player, he’s got this kind of attitude and personality,’ and then when you walk around them and you see how effective he is in certain areas, you think, ‘He definitely shouldn’t be that effective.’ It’s like, ‘Wow.’ You can’t learn that.”