Karl-Anthony

Towns

Towns, who didn’t miss a shot from the field, attempted just five shots on Wednesday. The Knicks center has recorded a double-double in all eight games this season and is providing third-round value in 12-team leagues. Fantasy managers likely want to see a little more from Towns defensively, but he’s gotten this season off to a solid start.

Although Towns failed to score in the first half, missing all four shots, he remained active on the boards. KAT grabbed 10 of his 16 rebounds before halftime, and the Knicks made a more concerted effort to get him the ball in the third quarter. Towns scored nine points in the third quarter, and he finished the game with his seventh double-double in as many games.

Towns has recorded a double-double in each of the Knicks’ six games this season, and he committed no fouls in Friday’s defeat. Given his occasional struggles with foul trouble, KAT avoiding it in a matchup with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is noteworthy. Unfortunately for managers rostering Towns, the Knicks don’t play again this week. But they do host the Nets on Monday.

Towns was initially probable for Friday’s game, so the status upgrade was expected. He’ll take on his usual role as the Knicks’ starting center.

Towns sprained his left wrist in the first quarter of Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, then returned to action after being taped up. The probable tag suggests he’s expected to be available; if not, Andre Drummond and James Wiseman will take on added importance for the Knicks.

Towns had an injury scare in the first quarter after colliding with Bulls forward Noa Essengue and hitting his left hand/wrist on the court. After a quick trip to the locker room to get taped up, KAT returned to the game, with foul trouble limiting him to 28 minutes. We’ll see if Towns shows up on the injury report for Friday’s game against the 76ers.

Towns’ only negative on Tuesday was his seven turnovers. He had a good night scoring-wise, and the Knicks’ center finished with his 17th 20/20 game, five of which have occurred since he was traded to New York. Towns was at his best in the third quarter, shooting 5-of-5 from the field and scoring 13 points. He’ll look to build on this showing when the Knicks visit the Bulls on Wednesday.

While Towns has recorded a double-double in each of his first three games this season, that production has not kept the Knicks from going 0-3. Against the Magic, KAT recorded a stat line that only lacked a three-pointer, as he missed all four of his attempts. The Knicks play three games in Week 2, starting Tuesday against the Pistons.

After struggling with early foul trouble in Tuesday’s loss to the 76ers, Towns did not commit a foul during the first quarter of Friday’s game. The bad news is that he made up for it by committing three fouls in the second quarter. Towns finished with a solid overall line, and avoiding early foul trouble let him log 37 minutes. He’ll look to build on Friday’s productive effort when the Knicks host the Magic on Sunday.

KAT dealt with a ton of foul trouble early, which limited him to just six minutes in the first half. He played 18 minutes in the second half and was still able to turn in a strong stat line, though it was frustrating that he wasn’t available for most of the first half. That has been a bad habit of KAT’s at times throughout his career, but it isn’t something that should happen every game. He’ll look to fix that against the Celtics on Friday.