Karl-Anthony

Towns

The Pacers don’t play a traditional center apart from Jay Huff, and they have been resting a lot of their players lately, so the Knicks may be trying to give Towns a rest day before their Sunday game against the Warriors. If Towns were to miss this game, Mitchell Robinson would likely start, and Mo Diawara would play more minutes as a small-ball center.

For the first time this season, Towns has recorded seven assists or more in consecutive games. And KAT has been excellent since the All-Star break, providing first-round value in 12-team, eight-cat formats. While a few other Knicks have battled inconsistency since the break, that has not been an issue for Towns, much to the delight of managers who have him on their fantasy rosters.

Including Towns, four players were responsible for 97 of the Knicks’ 118 points. Add in 20 turnovers, and it’s nearly impossible to win a game against a team that has postseason ambitions like the Clippers. The good news for fantasy managers was that Towns, who has played well over the past month, recorded a robust stat line that only lacked a steal. With the Knicks ending their road trip with games against the Jazz and Pacers, those could be big nights for KAT.

Towns had only one game with at least 20 points in his last six games entering play Sunday. While the 30-year-old center has been playing well recently, his scoring has lagged behind somewhat. That wasn’t the case on Sunday as he poured in 25 points on 17 attempts. Towns has provided third-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Knicks have four games coming up in Week 20, starting with a matchup against the Clippers on Monday.

Even if he isn’t putting up robust numbers in the points category, Towns has been playing his best basketball of the season recently. He finished Friday’s rout with a league-leading 44th double-double while shooting over 50 percent from the field. Sunday’s matchup against the Lakers could be a bit more manageable for Towns, especially if Deandre Ayton (knee) remains out for Los Angeles.

While Towns only attempted eight shots on the night, his work on the glass was a big reason why the Knicks had a chance to send Wednesday’s game into overtime. He grabbed nine offensive rebounds, more than compensating for the Knicks not having Mitchell Robinson (ankle). The Knicks now hit the road for five games, starting with the Nuggets on Friday. They’ll need a similar performance from KAT, who has played arguably his best basketball of the season since the All-Star break.

Since the All-Star break, Towns has recorded five double-doubles in seven appearances. During the first half of Tuesday’s game, the Knicks’ center was on pace to record a triple-double, but the assist production tailed off after halftime. Towns will need to come through with a similar effort against the Thunder on Wednesday, especially with Mitchell Robinson (two points, 10 rebounds and two steals) appearing unlikely to be available.

Towns didn’t do much scoring on Sunday, but his ability to use mismatches to his advantage was critical. The Spurs put a smaller defender on KAT for most of the game, having Victor Wembanyama guard Josh Hart to allow him to take on a “center field” role. Towns may not have punished the Spurs as a scorer as often as possible, but he did grab five offensive rebounds and help extend a few other positions through his hustle. While fantasy managers would have hoped for a more robust stat line from Towns, he deserves praise for his role in Saturday’s victory.

Towns recorded another double-double on Friday. While the Knicks center did not have a prolific night offensively, the team’s ball movement ensured that everyone was taken care of offensively. Seven Knicks scored in double figures as the team won by a 127-98 final score. Towns should face far greater resistance on Sunday when the Knicks host the Spurs in their final game of Week 18.

The good news for fantasy managers is that Towns didn’t miss a shot from the field. However, he attempted only five shots and matched that with five turnovers. Give Cleveland credit for its work on the defensive end, but this was a disappointing effort from KAT. While Towns has probably been too much of a lightning rod this season, there are still nights when he puts forth maddening performances like the one he produced in Cleveland. He and the Knicks will look to bounce back on Friday in Milwaukee.