New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns almost didn’t play in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. After hours of constantly changing his injury status, he ultimately suited up and started for New York.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns reveals significant quad injury
Towns would still perform at a high level despite almost not playing due to a quad injury. He finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds, being a key part of their 119-111 victory over the Cavaliers to begin the season.
Following the game, Towns revealed that he is actually playing through a grade 2 quad strain, but he felt that it was important to play in the season opener.
“I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. It’s not something that’s easy to deal with. We made it happen tonight, I’m glad the fans respected the effort I put in to play tonight,” Towns said after the game (h/t SNY).
The Knicks might be cautious with Towns moving forward
Towns didn’t play as if he was limited, as he was still attacking the basket with force and being aggressive on the glass despite the injury. The All-Star had missed the final two preseason games with the injury, but the extent was never revealed until Towns revealed it on Wednesday.
As for what this means for future games, that remains to be seen, but Towns could sit out some games to rest the quad. The Knicks were already going to be shorthanded on Opening Night with Josh Hart (back) and Mitchell Robinson (load management) out, but they need Towns to be healthy down the stretch of the season.
More will be known about his status for Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics before then. The game tips off at 7:30 PM EST and will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.