Though New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns’ thumb injury is worse than initially thought, he’s not expected to miss much time at all.
Towns went down with a thumb sprain in the team’s loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. According to , Towns also sustained a bone chip in his right thumb. He was ruled out of the team’s 125-119 overtime win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, as they need swelling to go down, but he is expected to play through the injury, per the report.
Towns injured his thumb in the first half of Monday’s loss to the Pistons when he slammed his hand on the backboard while going up for a dunk. While he remained in the game, Towns was clearly agitated the rest of the way.
Towns finished that game with 26 points and 12 rebounds, and said after that “it is what it is” in regards to his thumb injury. It’s unclear how long Towns will be sidelined. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Wednesday before the game in Philadelphia that they would “see where he is” on Thursday. The Knicks will host the Minnesota Timberwolves next on Friday.
Towns, who was traded to the Knicks by the Timberwolves last offseason, has averaged 25.4 points and a league-best 13.9 rebounds per game this season. He’s shot 55% from the field, too.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 38 points and five rebounds in Tuesdays’ win, which pushed them to 27-15 on the season. Mikal Bridges added 23 points, and OG Anunoby finished with 17 points.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 33 points, six rebounds and six assists. He scored a game-tying bucket on a goaltending call with just seconds left in regulation, which forced overtime. The Knicks then pushed ahead in the extra period to grab the win without much issue. Paul George added 26 points for Philadelphia, which dropped to 15-24 with the loss, and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
If Towns can’t play against his former team on Friday, he will have another chance on Monday when the Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks.
