Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns playing with Grade 2 quad strain

Karl-Anthony Towns said he played with a Level 2 quad strain in the Knicks’ 119-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Towns missed New York’s last two preseason games with what the team described as a quad issue and his status for the season opener at Madison Square Garden fluctuated from probable to questionable to questionable in the hours leading up to Wednesday’s announcement.

The All-Star big man was specific about his injury after the Knicks improved to a 1-0 record at home against the same Cavaliers who won a conference-best 64 games last season.

“Oh yeah. I’ve been banged up and haven’t really had a chance to practice or play these last two preseason games, but I don’t want to disappoint the fans,” Towns said in his locker after the game. “Dealing with a level 2 quad strain is not something that is easy to deal with. But we managed it tonight. I’m happy that the fans respected the effort I put in to play tonight and my teammates really did too. So props to them for supporting me and understanding the situation I was in.”

Towns then scored 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, with 11 rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes in Game 1 Wednesday.

“We needed every one of those rebounds that those guys got,” head coach Mike Brown said after the game.

This was easily Towns’ best performance early in the season after the average exhibition games to prepare for the real thing.

“Oh, I was hurt, for sure,” Towns said. “It’s been a day for me and for all of you trying to point it out, so it’s been a hell of a day. But I’m happy in the end, God be good. We won, New York is happy, the fans are happy. Things are going well.”

Towns is one of a long list of Knicks players who have battled injuries during training camp. The Knicks ruled out Josh Hart (lower back spasms) and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle load management) against the Cavaliers, and OG Anunoby also dealt with a twisted ankle that kept him out of the preseason finale.

With a shorthanded lineup, Brown expanded his rotation to 11 players on Wednesday.

“We just allow ourselves to change the energy of the game at any time,” Towns said. “We have a lot of guys here who are pros and giving them a chance to influence the game and impact winning is a great testament to, one, the trust that we as teammates have in each other here in this locker room, and [two] the coaching staff trusts the players, so shout out to them.