In the first half of the Knicks' 106-100 opening night loss to the 76ers, broadcast analyst Jamal Crawford noted Philadelphia's Joel Embiid enjoys a mismatch "every single night." Ironic of him to say that on a night Embiid was playing Karl-Anthony Towns, who dominated the Sixer big in last year's playoffs.
The visiting Sixers won the game, but what the Knicks saw out of Towns bodes well for their title defense and his desire for a contract extension.
Karl-Anthony Towns' play doesn't appear to be slipping despite Knicks contract drama
In the opening quarter, KAT flashed a little of the lotta things that make him a uniquely difficult matchup. Embiid drove at him and Towns was able to knock the ball away and come away with it. He made a lovely dish facilitating from the arc for a lay-up Jalen Brunson couldn't finish. Soon after that, Towns used his thinned-but-still-XL frame to set a screen clearing Brunson for a three.
Then came the usual KAT bugaboo—not just an unfortunate foul at an unfortunate time, but an unnecessary one. He had to check out barely three minutes in after picking up his second for a leg-kick on a three a Rockette would envy. Towns then sat for more than 12 minutes, which the Knicks endured just find thanks to Andre Drummond's first half double-double. But if the Knicks were going to win, they'd need more from their starting big.
They didn't win, but Towns did his part, at least in the 24 minutes he played when he wasn't in foul trouble. But if there were any concerns beforehand KAT could suffer a drop in form after the Knicks pulled the plug on extension talks, there weren't after.
Towns drilled a logo three and another deep make late in the fourth as the Knicks cut into the Sixers' lead. His 10 points in the final frame were critical on a night Brunson couldn't find the range. And the points weren't even the main takeaway. Rather, consider: if Embiid couldn't keep KAT in front of him in the first half and is already a fish out of water contesting shots 30-plus feet from the hoop in October, what are the odds he'll be better able to handle either come April or May?
Even with the loss, there are reasons the Knicks can still feel good about how this matchup. In the first half Towns repeatedly drove past Embiid off the dribble, drawing fouls on him and teammates forced to help him handle Towns. Between Towns and Brunson, the Knicks' two best players are both capable of leaving Embiid in the dust. If Embiid gives Towns any breathing room, he invites a whole other trouble.
In baseball, a team can lose a game while winning something greater: a slumping hitter finally gets a couple hits and catches fire; a pitcher who hasn't been able to put it all together throws some shutout innings in mop-up duty, something clicks and months later they're still rolling. One stretch midway through the fourth, despite coming in a loss, felt like the Knicks might lose the battle but still ultimately win the war.
Brunson had been out and the Sixers were leading. It was a dangerous time and a dangerous margin, that four-to-seven point difference where a turnover and a three-point play in New York's favor could have made it a one-point game, but one in Philly's favor would up the deficit to double digits. On a night OG, Bridges and Brunson combined to shoot 11-of-39, here was Towns hauling in offensive rebounds and putting them back in. It wasn't glamorous, and in the end it didn't change a loss into a victory.
But Towns, even in an abbreviated role, even playing while in search of a new deal he must have thought was a mere formality after his playoff performances, was still out there fighting the good fight. Still presenting perhaps the Knicks' biggest Eastern threat with perhaps their biggest challenge. How do you stop Karl-Anthony Towns? Because he's still coming.
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