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Karl-Anthony Towns 'Hurt' After Knicks NBA Cup Elimination

Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks have been eliminated from the NBA Cup.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks are disappointed after their 108-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks eliminated them from the NBA Cup in the quarterfinal round for the second consecutive season.

The Knicks were playing for a spot in Las Vegas to face the Milwaukee Bucks, who eliminated them a year ago, but the Hawks stopped them in their tracks before they could even get to Sin City.

The loss stings a bit for Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.

“Losing any game hurts. Losing any game is disappointing. Food don’t taste good tonight. Sleep’s gonna be tough tonight," Towns said h/t Posting and Toasting.

“I understand it’s the NBA Cup and we’re all excited and we have extra motivation to play these games, especially in the quarterfinals. But every game has such significance. It can’t just be an NBA Cup game where we wake up and take it to another level. It has to be every single game against every single opponent.”

Towns had 19 points and 19 rebounds in the loss, but Jalen Brunson struggled, managing only 14 points for his team. As the superstar and captain of the Knicks, the team needs to get him more involved if they want to win more games.

“All of us including myself have to do a better job of making it even easier for him," Towns said of Brunson.

“Obviously there’s some good film in the loss tonight and things that we can learn so we can be the best version of ourselves and especially help Cap. He does a lot for us and I know everyone in this locker room wants to do what they can to make his life easier.”

Towns and the Knicks return to the court on Sunday as they take on the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET from Kia Center.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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