Knicks can't afford an inconsistent Karl-Anthony Towns against Celtics
The Knicks were lucky to survive that performance from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Performance might be putting it lightly.
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No-show is probably better.
Towns struggled through a nightmarish Game 6 against the Pistons, which the Knicks won 116-113 to clinch the series.
And he was at his worst in the fourth quarter when the Pistons went on a 20-2 run and looked set to force a Game 7.
He finished with just 10 points — matching his series low from Game 2 — on 4-for-10 shooting from the field.
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He missed his only 3-pointer.
In the fourth quarter, he missed both shots he took, recorded two turnovers and three fouls.
He also went 1-for-2 from the line when he had a chance to tie the game with 1:19 left.
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He fouled out with 49.1 seconds left.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks puts down a rebound during the third quarter.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
'It doesn't matter about stats, it doesn't matter about personal accolades, it's about finding a way to win and we did that,' Towns said. 'I know the city only cares about one thing, and that's W's, and we found a way to get that done.'
Thursday's showing was emblematic of Towns' up-and-down series.
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He had 23 points in the Knicks' Game 1 win, but then disappeared with 10 in their Game 2 loss — and did not take a shot in the fourth quarter.
Then he responded with 31 in a Game 3 win and was the hero in Game 4, drilling two clutch shots down the stretch.
But he finished the series with 17 and 10 points in the Knicks' Game 5 loss and Game 6 win, respectively.
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The highs were very high and the lows were very low.
The Knicks will need better than that, and more consistency, to pull off an upset of the Celtics in the second round.
On the defensive end, the Celtics hunted Towns in pick-and-rolls during the regular season, in which the Knicks went 0-4 in the matchup.
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Tobias Harris of the Detroit Pistons defends against Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks during the second quarter.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
He is likely to guard ex-Knick Kristaps Porzingis, who averaged 24.5 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 45.5 percent shooting from 3-point range in the four games.
That was tied for Porzingis' second-highest scoring average against any team this year.
Put simply, Towns needs to win that matchup. Julius Randle, the main part of the Knicks' blockbuster trade with the Timberwolves that brought Towns to New York, had a stellar first-round series with Minnesota to help it upset the Lakers.
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He averaged 22.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and was probably the second-most important player for the Timberwolves behind Anthony Edwards.
It's time for Towns to better that.
It's why the Knicks made the trade, after all.
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