Details Emerge on Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Injury

Whereas most play with a chip on their shoulder, New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns will operate with one in his thumb.

Per Stefan Bondy and Peter Botte of the New York Post, tests on Towns' sprained right thumb that kept him out of Wednesday's game in Philadelphia also revealed a bone chip.

Towns originally sustained the injury in Monday's loss to Detroit. While Towns is going to sit until swelling from the sprain dissipates, Bondy and Botte's report states that surgery isn't required at any point.

Jan 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after being called for an offensive foul during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The more immediate concern is thus the thumb sprain, which Towns appeared to sustain and aggravate as Monday's tilt against the Pistons raged on. He was originally listed as questionable on Wednesday's injury report before giving way to Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims.

Analysis of a sprained thumb recommended by Carol DerSarkissian, M.D., and Alicia Ramella of WebMD states that milder thumb sprains are often treated with protection, icing, elevation, and compression while also recommending rest for 48 hours after sustaining the ailment. Of note, Towns played the latter stages of Monday's game with the thumb in question taped and had some sort of covering while he took in Wednesday's match from the Knicks' bench.

While Towns has lived up to his billing and then some with the Knicks, nagging injuries have somewhat exposed the team's depth issues. Fortunately for New York, their paint subs rose to the occasion on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center: Sims got the start and pulled in six offensive rebounds while Achiuwa had 10 points and six boards off the bench in the Knicks' eventual 125-119 victory.

The relative uncertainty around could behoove the Knicks (27-15) to take a closer look at available centers on the trade market before Feb. 6's transactional deadline. Quality on that ledger took a bit of a hit on Wednesday when the Charlotte Hornets traded Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns.

Time will tell if Towns is able to partake in a monumental interconference tilt on Friday night when the Knicks face his original NBA employers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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