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Josh Minott takes shot at Karl-Anthony Towns’ ‘physicality’ following Nets’ near upset of Knicks
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- Josh Minott takes shot at Karl-Anthony Towns’ ‘physicality’ following Nets’ near upset of Knicks
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Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks narrowly escaped embarrassment during Friday's 93-92 win over the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets . Despite playing against a rotation comprised primarily of rookies, two-way players and a two-day signee, Mike Brown's squad struggled against Brooklyn's aggressive defense for much of the game.
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Towns and Jalen Brunson rebounded from slow starts to stave off a Brooklyn comeback in the final minutes. Following the matchup, Nets forward Josh Minott said Brooklyn tried to make Towns uncomfortable by ramping up their physicality.
"I played with KAT for two-and-a-half years [in Minnesota ]. I know him like [the back of my hand], and he don't like physicality," Minott said. "I love KAT, but he don't like physicality. That's my boy, too. I hope this angers him. But we were just real connected on bringing that physicality to him. He started snapping in the second half. He's a really talented player. But we were gonna do everything in our power to stop him."
After going scoreless during a first quarter that saw the Knicks score just 14 points, Towns gained his rhythm late to lead New York to the narrow victory.
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Karl-Anthony Towns rebounds from poor start during Knicks' narrow win over Nets
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
He finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Minott scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 from three to lead Brooklyn.
Towns has struggled to replicate his production from last season during the Knicks' erratic 2025-26 campaign. He's averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds on .491/.365/.851 shooting splits across 66 appearances.
The All-Star big man has been adept at drawing fouls on drives, attempting a career-high 9.0 free throws per 100 possessions. However, he's struggled to convert around the rim. Towns has shot a career-low 60 percent within four feet, the NBA's worst percentage among 20 big men who have played over 1,700 minutes this season, per CleaningTheGlass.
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The Knicks are attempting to catch the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference's second seed as the regular season winds down. A five-game winning streak has pulled New York within two games of Boston with 12 remaining.
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