Knicks Star Jokes About Post-Injury Shooting Woes

The New York Knicks' KAT worked off an internal scratch to put forth a solid effort on Tuesday night.

Towns resembled the form that the Knicks have come to know and love through his first season in Manhattan, carrying the team's offensive load with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists in a narrow 99-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The likely All-Star has partaken in each of the Knicks' last two games after missing the prior couple with a sprained thumb.

Though Towns did a little bit of everything--he also swiped three, blocked two, and posted a team-best plus-16 in 39 minutes--a nagging reminder of his injury was on display through a fruitless 0-of-3 mark from three-point range. Shooting just over 43 percent with an extra point on the line this season (including 50 percent over his last seven games), Towns is 1-of-9 over the last pair.

Karl-Anthony Towns is 1-of-9 from three since returning from a thumb injury

After saying "it is what it is" a few times, he's asked directly if the thumb is affecting his shot: "For sure" pic.twitter.com/bpAnN3mRvI
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2025

Addressing his issues in the aftermath at Barclays Center, particularly the report that he's playing with a chipped bone in the thumb in question, Towns once again broke out "It is what it is" from his verbal holster (h/t SNY), albeit in a joking reference to his repeated statement from when he first endured the injury in last week's defeat to Detroit.

Finally asked directly if the thumb was affecting his shot, Towns admitted that it was "for sure" the case, but not before getting a quick quip out.

"1-for-9?" Towns rhetorically asked. "That's better than 0-for-9!"

Even with Towns' issues from deep, fellow franchise face Jalen Brunson offered his appreciation for his effort to push through over the last two games, which have created the first string of consecutive New York victories in the new calendar year.

“Shows toughness. Shows a lot of toughness,” Brunson said, per Phillip Martinez of SNY. “Regardless of what’s going on, mentally or physically, to come out here and play the way he does, we’re just happy to have him.”

Towns' next chance to test his thumb and rediscover his outside stroke lands on Saturday when the Knicks welcome in the Sacramento Kings (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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