The New York Knicks struggled to create any separation against the Sacramento Kings for the first three quarters on Tuesday. It wasn’t until the final five minutes that the Knicks were able to pull away, but it came with a big caveat.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns benched down the stretch
For the second straight game, the Knicks closed the game with Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench. He fouled out against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, but he sat most of the third quarter when they finished the period on a 25-9 run.
On Wednesday, it was a lot of the same story. Despite hitting a couple of big shots early on in the fourth, Knicks head coach Mike Brown went with Mitchell Robinson down the stretch in favor of defense, and the move paid off as they won 103-87.
“I know at the end of the game, we had a group out on the floor that’s playing well, and it’s a tight ball game so I just rode that group to the end of the game, which I’ve done before. We had Deuce out there, who’s not a starter, and Mitch out there, who’s not a starter. So again, we need to get the win, and the biggest thing was Mikal was at 37 minutes, but other than Mikal, everybody was at decent minutes especially knowing we’ve got a game tomorrow,” Brown said after the game (h/t Posting and Toasting).
Robinson was a team-high +25 on the night, as his impact was largely felt in his minutes. He finished with seven points, 13 rebounds, and two steals, affecting the game in a variety of ways to help propel the team to victory.
Towns’ struggles continue
Towns, meanwhile, had some good moments but struggled overall on the offensive end. While he recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, he shot just 5-for-15 from the floor and finished as a -4.
Whatever the issue, it is clear that there is a problem with Towns getting in sync with the rest of the group, especially the starters. It has been a rough season overall for the big man, and his name has been thrown in some trade rumors as a result.
Nevertheless, Towns understood Brown’s decision to stick with Robinson down the stretch, emphasizing that the win is ultimately what’s most important.
“Brown] saw what he saw. We got a win. That’s the most important thing. That’s all I care about. That’s all this team cares about is the win,” Towns said (h/t Posting and Toasting).