Karl-Anthony Towns erupts for 31 in first half, Knicks roll past Heat
This is what it looks like when the Big Bodega opens its doors.
With Jalen Brunson sidelined with a grade 1 ankle sprain suffered late in Wednesday’s loss to the Magic, all eyes turned to Karl-Anthony Towns — the underutilized but extremely talented scorer who had been quiet to start year one under Mike Brown.
Don’t be silent anymore.
The Knicks finally unlocked their All-Star center, and they did it early in Friday’s 140-132 win over the Miami Heat. Towns exploded for 31 points in the first half and finished with 38 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on 14-of-26 shooting and 6-of-14 from three. Eighteen of those points came during a blistering first quarter.
He went 6 of 10 from deep in the first half, tied for the second-most threes in any half this season. And with 11-of-16 shooting in those first two quarters, Towns became the most efficient player to score more than 26 points in any half this year.
He became the sixth player to reach 30 in a half this season and tied Stephen Curry for the fourth most points in a half, behind Nikola Jokic (33), Jamal Murray (32) and Luka Doncic (32).
Then Landry Shamet joins him.
When OG Anunoby headed to the locker room in the first quarter and was subsequently ruled out with a hamstring strain, Brown turned to Shamet — his go-to starter whenever Mitchell Robinson sits.
Shamet had six points at halftime. He finished with 36 on 12 of 19 shooting and 6 of 12 from three.
“That’s why it’s a process,” Brown said before the news. “It’s the next man up mentality. If someone gets knocked out, the next guy steps in and doesn’t have to do anything fancy – just do your job. It’s the same for me. Plug in the next guy and make sure he’s comfortable with what he’s supposed to do.”
The explosion marked Towns’ second 30-point half since arriving in New York, tying Julius Randle, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford for third in Knicks history.
Quite an evening for a pretty big man.
Which begs the obvious question: Why did it take Brunson’s injury to unlock Towns in the first place?
The floor-spacing giant entered Friday on pace for one of the least efficient seasons of his career — just 20.2 points on 42.9 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from three through 11 games. And even though Miami didn’t have Bam Adebayo this time around — Towns had just 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting in their opener — it wasn’t just about who wasn’t on the court.
The eye test said something else: The Knicks ran the offense for Towns in a way they simply hadn’t done all season. They tracked his confrontations. They trusted him very early. He rewarded that confidence with quick decisions and aggressive shooting.
The Knicks have now won six of their last seven games and moved to 1-1 in the NBA Cup after their opening loss to Chicago.
“Obviously, every time we step on the court, we want to try to win. The in-season tournament is fun because there’s a little more punch for everyone. Its importance to everyone makes it important to you. It’s a game that guys circle, a tournament that guys want to win, especially if you’re competitive. So for us, knowing that it’s an in-season tournament game, we want to try to do it,” said Brown before the announcement. “I just want to warn everyone that because this is a season tournament game and not a regular season game, that doesn’t mean we’re going to ‘try harder to win tonight.’ I mean, every game is important for us this time of year in terms of growth because it’s a long season. But what is just as important is that we want to position ourselves well for the future. »
The Knicks will meet up with Miami on Monday – this time in South Florida – to open a three-game road trip before returning home on Tuesday for a meeting with the Nets at Barclays Center.
