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Knicks Star Sounds Off on Scoreless 4th Quarter

The New York Knicks' star center was unable to score in the final leg of the team's recent loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) during the second quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) during the second quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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New York Knicks fans will want to scratch KAT's most recent fourth quarter from memory.

While far from the only one struggling, Karl-Anthony Towns' issues was one of the sour headlines to emerge from Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Detroit Pistons. The best-of-seven set is knotted up at a game apiece after the Pistons took a 100-94 decision at Madison Square Garden.

Towns did not take a shot during the final 17:20 of game time, shortly before the Knicks endured their largest deficit of the game at 15. New York was able to whittle the gap all the way to a tie game with 75 seconds left but no shot left Towns' hands.

"[I was] just trying to have the game do what it does .. just executing what we talked about," Towns said of the late struggles in video from Ian Begley of SNY. "[I] thought we got some great shots, some great looks, especially when we fought back in that game."

The postseason pressure is undoubtedly raised on Towns, whose services were specifically obtained for moments like this. His first playoff foray in New York has produced mixed results in a small sample size.

Towns' reversal of narrative and fortune is one of the of the dire stories of Game 2: he flipped the script on one of his most common criticisms, that of his defense, in the opener and established some early physicality against the bruising Pistons. Metropolitan momentum, however, has been hacked with such a shutdown and two days off before Game 3 should only further foster dire playoff plots.

Interestingly, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau appeared to appreciate Towns' conservative approach, reasoning that he didn't want to see his All-Star center force anything at the most important points of his debut metropolitan tour.

Karl-Anthony Towns
Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

“[Towns] was getting touches, but he’s making the right play,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “If he’s getting double-teamed, I don’t want him just shooting the ball over three people. That makes no sense to me.”

If the Knicks want to make postseason noise — and first-round victories are no longer valuable currency in Manhattan — Towns will undoubtedly have to make a larger impact in both conventional and advanced affairs. Finding a balance, however, will define whether this season is a success in metropolitan eyes.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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