Karl-Anthony Towns attended a boxing match Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. A few days later, he looked like he was in one.
Towns’ right eye was bloodied after being fouled by Spencer Jones at the end of the first quarter of the Knicks’ 134-127 double-overtime win over the Nuggets on Wednesday night at MSG.
Their heads collided as Towns drove to the rim.
Karl-Anthony Towns is checked on by a trainer after taking a headbutt to the eye in the first half of the Knicks’ 134-127 double-overtime win over the Nuggets on Feb. 4, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. JASON SZENES/ NY POSTHe stayed in the game and hit both free throws before being subbed out and going back to the locker room. He got a few stitches and returned with 3:11 left in the second quarter with a bandage above his eye.
He immediately scored the next seven points, then corralled a rebound and threw a long outlet to OG Anunoby for a breakaway dunk, part of a 9-0 Knicks run.
Karl-Anthony Towns defends against Jonas Valanciunas during the first half of the Knicks’ 2OT win over the Nuggets. JASON SZENES/ NY POST“I ain’t really know how bad it was,” Towns said. “But I realized how much I was bleeding, Tim Hardaway Jr. was looking at me like, ‘Ooh.’ It was pretty significant.”
Towns enjoyed his second straight strong outing, recording 24 points and 12 rebounds, though he fouled out at the end of the first overtime.
The Knicks have changed their messaging about Miles McBride a bit.
He missed his fifth straight game Wednesday, with him still listed on the injury report as “left ankle injury management.”
Coach Mike Brown had said previously that McBride, who missed eight games earlier in the year due to a sprain to that left ankle, did not suffer a new injury.
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But Brown said before Wednesday’s game that they are still “evaluating” McBride’s ankle, a departure from their claim that he was just dealing with some soreness and a sign it could be more serious.
That came after The Post’s Stefan Bondy reported that McBride underwent tests due to lingering issues.
Josh Hart, who hurt his own left ankle during the win over the Wizards on Tuesday, was out Wednesday.
Jordan Clarkson started in Hart’s place. He had largely fallen out of Brown’s rotation before playing 21 minutes Tuesday and 24 minutes Wednesday.
He recorded 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.
“He gave us a great punch to start the game,” Brown said.
The NBA said that the Knicks win over the Lakers on Sunday was the most watched game of the season across all networks, excluding the season opener and Christmas Day.
It was the most watched regular-season Sunday night game since 2002, excluding Christmas Day.
