Knicks Star Quiet on Thumb Injury
Karl-Anthony Towns wasn't willing to give a thumbs up or down when it came to his status following the New York Knicks' latest heartbreaker.
Towns braved an apparent thumb injury on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons when the Knicks engaged in the latter half of a back-to-back set. He appeared to endure the ailment during first quarter action, jamming his right thumb on the backboard during an encounter with Detroit's Isaiah Stewart.
Perhaps jaded by the Knicks' 124-119 loss, their fifth defeat over the past seven games, Towns was in no mood to talk about the apparent injury in the aftermath: per Steve Popper of Newsday, Towns simply offered some variation of "it is what it is" when asked about the incident.
Towns shook off the injury well enough to post 26 points and 12 rebounds but he lost six turnovers in a close game. The thumb in question was taped up for the second half but Towns appeared to re-aggravate it during an encounter with Tobias Harris. After Harris swiped at a driving Towns, the latter briefly retreated to the tunnel behind the basket, holding his hand and wincing.
Towns was also seen playing defense with his right behind his back at certain points so as to avoid further distress. Head coach Tom Thibodeau was equally passive in his own postgame comments, merely remarking that he hadn't "talked to medical" about the incident (h/t Stefan Bondy of the New York Post).
If Towns is forced to miss time, any potential departure would have interior drama hovering over it: the Knicks (26-15) were already missing backup center Jericho Sims on Monday due to back spasms and he could well be traded if and when Mitchell Robinson is ready to return from his ankle ailments. Precious Achiuwa has likewise stepped in, even if he sees himself as more of a power forward rather than a pure center and the Knicks have kept second-round rookie Ariel Hukporti around rather than stashing him in Westchester with draft classmate Pacome Dadiet.
Though Towns was unwilling to provide medical clarity, at least something should emerge when the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) is released.