The Knicks’ bold move to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns paid off in a big way on Wednesday. The former Minnesota big man, who averaged 15.3 points in his first three games with his new team, erupted for 44 points in a victory over Miami.
Towns had 25 field-goal attempts after not attempting more than 11 in the first three games.
“I think we did a good job of just feeding the hot hand,” Jalen Brunson told the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “He was hot and we were just playing through him. He was making the right reads and when they doubled he either got fouled or he made the right play. We trust him. We trust him.”
We have more on the New York teams:
- Josh Hart was listed as questionable entering the contest after getting accidentally kicked in the shin by Cleveland’s Caris LeVert on Monday. He wound up playing 42 minutes and contributing 10 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. “That’s what you love about him,” coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Bondy. “There’s no other agenda other than winning. So whatever you ask him to do he’s going to give you everything he has.”
- Ziaire Williams was thrilled to get some revenge on his former team on Wednesday, as the Nets beat the Grizzlies on the road. Williams, a 2021 pick, was dealt to the Nets over the summer in what was essentially a salary dump. He contributed 17 points, three assists and four steals in the 13-point win. “Oh, man, it feels great. I wanted this one bad, man,” Williams told Brian Lewis of the New York Post . “It was a weird feeling just being out there on the other side. It’s still all love, yeah, miss those guys. But nah, I was definitely happy I was able to talk some smack and more importantly get the win.”
- Dennis Schröder, an unrestricted free agent next summer who’s hopeful of re-signing with the Nets, poured in 33 points — including 11 in the fourth quarter — against the Grizzlies. He’s averaging 24.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. “At one point, he said, ‘Just give me the ball. I’ll take care of this.’ And that’s what he does. He’s a leader,” coach Jordi Fernandez said, per Lewis. “He puts everybody in place. If he has to score, he scores. And he finished the game. So it’s really, really, really good to have him on the court.”