NEW YORK – Karl-Anthony Towns furrowed his eyebrows slightly while fielding the fifth question of his postgame press conference about his four personal fouls. Once again, the New York Knicks came out on top of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2. And, like Game 1, their All-Star center committed four fouls and saw his playing time reduced as a result.
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“That’s a lot of dirty questions. I wonder why,” Towns said humorously in response to the mundane topic of availability.
Making fun of the big man may seem like a common way of placing blame on the authorities. But despite the win, it was the only time Towns’ tone regarding fouls was anything other than apologetic.
The Knicks won on Wednesday night, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series to prepare for the trip down I-95. But despite Joel Embiid being out, the 76ers hit three more free throws during the night. This brought the free-throw discrepancy in the series to 62–42, with Philadelphia attempting an additional 20.
“It doesn’t matter,” Towns responded when given the chance to question any of his four called fouls. “I’ll watch the tape. I’ll get better, get more disciplined. And I don’t want to put my team in that position again, so I’ve got to do a better job.”
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Knicks captain Jalen Brunson emphasized how important it is for them to resolve their foul issues thus far. Whenever the team is in the midst of any type of slump, Brunson cites attention to detail as a central issue and the way forward. “Defending without fouling is definitely one of those initiatives,” he revealed after the 108-102 win.
“Those are the details I’m talking about that we have to pay attention to. I mean, it could be a difference-maker,” Towns said. “Small things can make a huge difference. Just have to pay attention, make sure we’re all on the same page, and focus on our gameplan.”
Brown said the Knicks need to lead with a chest and show their hands to avoid getting whistled for their defense. Brunson and Towns clearly got that memo. He’ll have some chances to execute it in Philadelphia.
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