'Banged up' KAT plays opener with Grade 2 strain

NEW YORK -- Knicks halfway Karl-Anthony Towns revealed helium is dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain, which led to his "will helium oregon won't he" presumption successful the hours starring up to Wednesday night's season-opening 119-111 triumph implicit the Cleveland Cavaliers astatine Madison Square Garden.

Shortly earlier gametime, Towns declared himself acceptable to play, past scored 19 points and 12 rebounds successful 31 minutes successful a matchup betwixt the 2 favorites successful the Eastern Conference.

The determination to play Towns came aft helium was downgraded to doubtful connected the Knicks' wounded study aboriginal Wednesday afternoon, past upgraded to questionable an hr later.

"I've been banged up, and I truly haven't gotten a accidental to signifier oregon play successful the past 2 preseason games," Towns said earlier revealing the severity of his quad strain. "I didn't privation to disappoint the fans. It's not thing that's casual to woody with, [but] we made it hap tonight."

When asked if helium was successful symptom portion playing, Towns said: "It was hurting, for sure." He didn't fto connected whether it would impact his availability for Friday's crippled against the Boston Celtics.

On a mates of plays, Towns utilized his framework to overpower Cavaliers large antheral Evan Mobley. He didn't stray excessively acold beyond the 3-point line, with conscionable 4 attempts. The Knicks person emphasized playing faster, but Towns showed helium could besides inactive play bully shot connected occasion.

A flurry from Donovan Mitchell (31 points) gave the Cavaliers a abbreviated fourth-quarter lead, but the Knicks rapidly squelched it with a 14-0 tally to instrumentality a 101-89 pb with 8:45 remaining. All the harm was done with starring scorer and Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson connected the seat for his accustomed rest.

Towns shook disconnected aboriginal foul occupation to person a productive nighttime for the Knicks, who already were without 2 regulars: halfway Mitchell Robinson (load management) and swingman Josh Hart (back). Being without a 3rd rotation subordinate would've sent manager Mike Brown deeper into his seat during his archetypal crippled arsenic Knicks coach.

Towns' uncertain presumption added intrigue successful a crippled that already had plenty, including Brown getting his archetypal sensation of the monolithic expectations that await him aft his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, helped pb the Knicks to their archetypal league finals since 2000.

Brown utilized 11 players successful the opener, a somewhat caller improvement from the erstwhile regime, and the Knicks held comfy leads for ample portions of the night.

"This squad is simply a heavy team," Brown said. "I springiness Leon Rose and his radical a batch of credit. It's my occupation to support uncovering combinations that work. I got a batch of country to grow, too."

He added: "I tin larn connected the alert due to the fact that we person a batch of guys that tin play. I don't cognize if I'll play 11 guys each night, but we similar to play arsenic galore arsenic we can."

It wasn't Brown's archetypal go-round astatine Madison Square Garden, but the vigor was antithetic for this play opener. He said Spike Lee greeted him earlier the crippled and that helium was amazed Lee knew who helium was.

Brown was asked if helium took successful a infinitesimal to consciousness the expectations from the extracurricular world, and helium pointed retired the interior ones are conscionable arsenic weighty.

"Our expectations are highly high. Whether we won oregon lost, it's 1 game," Brown said. "We don't consciousness similar we're anyplace adjacent what we're susceptible of, and that's what makes it exciting."