Karl-Anthony Towns Reacts to Late-Game Benching in Knicks Win

The New York Knicks picked up their third consecutive victory when they defeated the Sacramento Kings 103-87 at Madison Square Garden.

It is certainly nice to see the team starting to build some positive momentum after a brutal stretch in which they lost nine out of 11 games. The Knicks took advantage of a Kings squad that was without Zach LaVine and Malik Monk, making them one-dimensional offensively.

Without their two best 3-point shooters, New York was able to pack their defense inside the arc and dared Sacramento to shoot all night. It was a winning strategy, pulling out a 16-point win behind their defensive effort.

Alas, there was one development worth keeping an eye on moving forward: the playing time of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Karl-Anthony Towns takes high road for recent benching

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns pumping up crowd — Jan 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

For the second consecutive game, the Knicks' best stretch was without their All-Star center on the court. When they faced the Philadelphia 76ers, they took a commanding lead in the third quarter when Towns was forced to the bench in foul trouble. The game was closed out with him on the bench after fouling out.

Against the Kings, Towns didn’t foul out of the game, but head coach Mike Brown went in a different direction with his lineup. It was Mitchell Robinson on the court at center with Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.

Talking with the media in the locker room after the game, the star big man took the high road. He put the team first, knowing the most important thing is to win games regardless of what his role is.

"[Mike Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win. That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about - is wins,” Town said, via Knicks Videos on X.

"[Mike Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win. That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about - is wins"

- Karl-Anthony Towns on not playing down the stretch in tonight's win over the Kings pic.twitter.com/GHd1LuGpHK
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 28, 2026

That is a lineup combination that hasn’t been deployed often this season, but one that needs to be explored more moving forward. There is a ton of upside with that lineup. Brunson is surrounded by three elite shooters, the best offensive rebounder in the NBA and four players who get after it defensively.

Brown echoed similar sentiments to Towns when speaking during his post-game press conference. He was focused solely on getting the win over Sacramento and felt Brunson, McBride, Bridges, Anunoby and Robinson gave the team the best chance of achieving that goal.

He was right to stick it out with them, as that quintet shut the door on the Kings.

"At the end of the game, we had a group on the floor that was playing well. It's a tight ballgame, so I rode that group to the end of the game. We needed to get the win,” Brown said, via Knicks Videos.

Mike Brown was asked about Karl-Anthony Towns' minutes being down over the last 3 games:

"At the end of the game, we had a group on the floor that was playing well. It's a tight ballgame, so I rode that group to the end of the game. We needed to get the win" pic.twitter.com/IeCOqzvDbW
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 28, 2026

That five-man lineup is one that could be used more often based on how stellar the results are. Egos have to be put aside for teams to reach their maximum potential, with the ultimate goal being winning, not individual accolades.

Towns has seen his minutes scaled back a bit during the three-game winning streak. It will be something worth keeping an eye on because if New York wants to challenge for the title, they need him playing at a high level.

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