Karl-Anthony Towns was sitting on a goose egg after a scoreless first quarter Friday night, but Mitchell Robinson’s highly active presence alongside him for a large chunk of the first half helped KAT freelance more offensively en route to 20 points over the final three quarters.
Still, Towns sat out for nearly seven minutes in the fourth quarter, with Tom Thibodeau going with the defensive-minded Robinson on the court as the lone big man until the Pacers started intentionally hacking him before Towns checked in for the final 2:25 of the Knicks’ second straight home loss to open the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers, 114-109 at the Garden.
“Just we got in a hole, and the group that was in there gave us a chance,” Thibodeau said.
Karl-Anthony Towns struggled on the defensive end in Game 2 on May 23, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post“We were just riding that, and I was searching for a win.”
The Knicks were outscored by 20 points during Towns’ 28 minutes on the floor, as their starting unit put the team in an early 10-point hole before Robinson and Miles McBride provided two-way energy off the bench and a 52-49 turnaround lead at intermission.
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Indiana big man Pascal Siakam finished with a game-high 39 points on 15-for-23 from the floor.
“We need him to be aggressive offensively. We need him to be locked in and communicate defensively. That’s all we need from him,” Josh Hart said of Towns. “We need him to communicate at a high level. Offensively, be aggressive, get to his spots, get deep post position, and use his talent offensively. Defensively, be locked in, communicate at a high level and be an anchor for us.”
Robinson played 16 consecutive minutes — several on the court together with Towns — before coming out to a standing ovation with 1:42 left in the second quarter.
Karl-Anthony Towns puts up a 3-point shot as Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton defends during the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks lost Game 2. Jason Szenes / New York PostHe finished the game with six points, nine rebounds (four offensive), three blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 29 minutes, his most playing time in this year’s playoffs.
“It’s tough to lose any way,” Towns replied when asked about sitting for much of the fourth quarter. “So we’ve just got to regroup together for the next one.
“We’re just playing ourselves into a deficit and I told you how we can’t keep doing that. Not every time are we going to be able to fight back and find ourselves with a win. Just gotta execute and be more disciplined.”
