Karl-Anthony Towns erupts for 28 points as Knicks beat Bulls, 105-99
· Yahoo Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns is in rhythm — and the New York Knicks are back in the win column.
Make it two in a row for the Knicks, who defeated the Chicago Bulls, 105-99, at the United Center on Sunday in the second leg of a back-to-back following Saturday’s late-night win over the Houston Rockets.
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“There’s no excuses,” Towns said. “We’re professionals. We’ve gotta come out here and do our job. Our fans expect it. The city expects us to play with tenacity. Tonight, I thought we did a good job of not making excuses and getting the job done.”
A common theme in both victories? The Knicks have made a concerted effort to run offense through their All-Star big man, and it’s no coincidence Towns has strung together his best two offensive performances of the season as the team shifts its focus to get him more involved on the scoring side.
Towns scored 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field to go with 11 rebounds and three steals against the Bulls. He has now scored 53 points over his last two games after his 25-point performance in Saturday’s victory over the Rockets, the fourth-most points Towns has scored over any two-game stretch in Mike Brown’s new offense this season.
“I work hard on my game. I put the time and effort in, and in my mind and my support system, I don’t think anyone’s put more time in their craft than me, and that’s where my confidence has grown from,” Towns said after the game. “It’s not from touching the ball in the game. It’s from touching the ball in the empty gym with no light, no fans and my [player development] coach Mark Bryant. So I’m extremely confident in my game. I’m extremely confident mentally that when I do touch the ball, I can do something really special with it.
“When I touch the basketball, I’ve gotta make these shots, and I’m glad I’ve been able to do that to help us win these two games.”
Jalen Brunson finished with 19 points and nine assists on 7-of-19 shooting from the field, and Landry Shamet added 16 points on four-of-eight shooting from 3-point range.
Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges combined to score just 31 points. The Knicks, like in Saturday’s win over the Rockets, won with their defense.
On Saturday, the Knicks held Kevin Durant to a 10-of-26 shooting night. On Sunday, Josh Giddey managed just six points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. Much of Chicago’s offense came from ex-Knick Guerschon Yabusele, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds while taunting his former teammates. The Knicks traded Yabusele to the Bulls as part of the three-team deal that landed Jose Alvarado.
“I think as a team, it’s a blessing to have expectations and high standards. That means we’re doing something right, and last year we did a lot right and fans are expecting a lot from us,” Towns said. “For me personally, my career’s been full of pressure, and I’ve always been held to a higher standard than everyone, and I always understood that criticism comes when you’re not succeeding and rightfully so.
“It’s a special team. We have a special group of guys, and for us to win, it’s gonna take all of us to win a championship.”
Mitchell Robinson sat the second leg of the home-road back-to-back due to load management for his surgically-repaired left ankle on Sunday. In his place, Brown bumped second-year big man Ariel Hukporti up a slot in his rotation.
Hukporti, whose minutes fluctuate with Robinson’s availability, played 16 minutes and finished with four points, five rebounds, a steal and two blocks. Sunday marked the eighth game of the season in which Hukporti has played 15 or more minutes in a game. Prior to his minutes against the Bulls, the 23-year-old German-Togolese big man averaged 6.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and just under a block over those games.
The Knicks travel to Cleveland for the second stop of their three-game road trip on Tuesday. They will complete their Midwest slate in Milwaukee with a matchup against the Bucks on Friday.
The Knicks (37-21) are now one game behind the Boston Celtics (37-19) for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. The Detroit Pistons (42-13) hold a 5.5-game cushion over the Celtics.
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