Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Not Focused on Front-Runners

Karl-Anthony Towns isn't concerned about the prevailing narrative surrounding the New York Knicks.

Jan 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

KAT is looking scratch out of the prevailing narratives surrounding the New York Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns' metropolitan tenure has hit a sour stretch, as his Knicks (25-14) have dropped four of their last five games, rendering a recent nine-game winning streak almost forgotten. With Towns leading the way, the Knicks climbed their way up the NBA leaderboard but issues against the Association's elite have led to some questioning their championship chances.

In the aftermath of a 126-101 defeat to the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at Madison Square Garden, Towns demanded that the spotlight focus squarely on the Knicks rather than their elite competition.

"I ain’t worried about them teams, I’m worried about us,” Towns said, per Ian Begley of SNY. "We've got to worry about the New York Knicks. When we do what we do and we’re constantly chasing perfection, we’re chasing improvement every day."

To the point of the concerns, the Knicks have struggled when testing their mettle against the Association's established contenders.

New York is 6-7 against teams that enter this week stationed in the top six of their respective conference and half of those triumphs have come against an Orlando Magic group that has been missing its headliners for most of the season. To make matters worse, the Magic beat the Knicks last Monday with those stars (i.e. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner) sidelined. Save for those wins over the Magic, the Knicks have not beaten a top-six team since Nov. 25 in Denver.

When accounting for the top two teams in each conference (Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Oklahoma City), the Knicks' record falls to 0-5.

In a bittersweet blessing, the Knicks have a few opportunities to improve that mark: the Milwaukee Bucks, a spot behind the third-place Knicks on the current Eastern Conference playoff bracket, stop by at MSG on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, MSG) and the month closes with visits from the Memphis Grizzlies and aforementioned Denver Nuggets.

There's plenty of equally dangerous competition between those showdowns: the surging Detroit Pistons (9-2 in their past 11) come by on Monday as the latter portion of a back-to-back and the week also features a visit to a Philadelphia team that has improved since they last met (13-13 since a 111-99 Knicks win on Nov. 12). An emotional Friday follows when Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle visit as members of the Minnesota Timberwolves before the Knicks get a holiday matinee on Jan. 20 against an Atlanta group that has been them twice.

Towns argued that the potentially salacious slate should mean nothing if he and the Knicks play to their true, established potential.

“We’ll be the best version of ourselves when we need to be against those teams," Towns vowed in Begley's report. "Just stay focused on us, stay focused on daily improvement.”

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