The New York Knicks made the biggest trade of the NBA offseason, acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota. Towns put on an offensive show in his fourth game with the club.
They’ll now head to Detroit to face the Pistons on Friday night.
Towns exploded with 44 points against Miami on Wednesday while attempting 25 field goals. He averaged 15.3 points in the Knicks’ first three games, never attempting more than 11 field goals.
“I think we did a good job of just feeding the hot hand,” guard Jalen Brunson said after the 116-107 win. “He was hot and we were just playing through him. He was making the right reads and when they doubled he either got fouled or he made the right play. We trust him.”
In part due to injuries, Towns is playing center for the Knicks after serving mainly as a power forward for the Timberwolves. The Pistons’ combination of starter Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart will be assigned the task of keeping Towns under control.
The Heat had no answers for him.
“I love his approach because he’s not forcing anything,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s letting the game come to him. I want him to be assertive and everything, but I want him to let the game come to him. He’s a very gifted scorer, as you saw (Wednesday). … He can hurt you in a lot of different ways.”
Swingman Josh Hart showed grit by fighting off a shin injury and playing 42 minutes. He contributed 10 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
“That’s what you love about him,” Thibodeau said. “There’s no other agenda other than winning. So whatever you ask him to do he’s going to give you everything he has.”
New York has dominated the series against the Pistons in recent years. They have recorded 15 consecutive victories over Detroit, dating back to the 2019-20 season.
The Pistons notched their first victory under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Wednesday, defeating Philadelphia 105-95. Detroit’s starting backcourt of Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham combined for 45 points.
“For the whole group, this is obviously something that, whether you say it or not, it has been weighing on us to get the first W,” forward Tobias Harris said.
Harris, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent after a lengthy stint with the Sixers, supplied 18 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. He got razzed by the Philadelphia fans but it didn’t affect his performance.
“I knew that it wasn’t gonna be like, a tearful moment. I can tell you that. I knew that coming in. This is a crowd that, they boo their own team, that’s just how it is,” Harris said. “My team really did a good job of keeping me on track of just understanding, ‘Hey, we need you. Don’t worry about that.’ I think it’s funny because for a lot of guys, they were looking at me like, ‘Yo, are you good?’ I’m like, ‘I’ve been doing this for a minute now, so I already know what it is.'”
