Karl-Anthony Towns Returns For Knicks vs. Raptors

Karl-Anthony Towns will return to the floor for the New York Knicks' divisional tilt on Wednesday night.

Dec 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts in front of Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks will have a little more bite to them when they face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

The Knicks announced that Karl-Anthony Towns would not only be available for the divisional tilt against Toronto but that he would take his usual place in the starting lineup. Miles McBride, on the other hand, will miss his fifth straight game as he continues to deal with hamstring woes.

Towns missed one game after leaving the Knicks' Saturday loss in Chicago with a knee injury after he was fouled on a fastbreak in the final minute. He sat out of Monday's loss against Orlando, allowing Jericho Sims to step into the starting five. While Sims performed respectably (pulling in 10 rebounds), there was clearly some lost offensive firepower, as he put up only four shots in a 103-94 defeat to the shorthanded Magic.

The Knicks (24-13) have struggled to find depth scoring in the absence of McBride, who been their most potent backup by far. McBride has been dealing with hamstring issues stemming from when he was a late scratch from the Knicks' Jan. 1 win over Utah, a game where he was supposed to replace Jalen Brunson in the starting five.

Despite McBride's injury, the Knicks have not expanded their rotation, maintaining a commitment to an eight-man set amidst their active three-game losing streak.

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