Knicks Rival Makes Hilarious Joke on Karl-Anthony Towns Injury
It’s never good to joke about players who are dealing with injuries in the NBA.
When a playful joke is used between former colleagues and friends, though, that’s a different story.
That’s what happened following the New York Knicks’ 116-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night at Madison Square Garden. All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns missed the game due to a finger injury.
May 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch speaks in a press conference after the game against the Dallas Mavericks during game one of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center.
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
No one was happier about it than his former coach either.
“The way he kicked our (expletive) last time I’m glad we didn’t have to play against him tonight,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said after the game.
Obviously, no major hurtful words were said there. Just playful banter between two friends.
And it’s not like Towns doesn’t like his former coach either. When he was benched last season with Minnesota, he actually defended the coach’s move.
“I’m with winning, so whatever it takes to win,” Towns said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Naz has it going. Coach’s decision, I’m fully supportive of my coaching staff. Wouldn’t question them one bit. Of course, I’m always going to be ready to play whenever he calls. Naz got it going, our team was playing well.”
With Towns off the court for New York, it seemed to only be a matter of time before they struggled on both sides of the ball.
That happened Friday night with the team not only allowing the Timberwolves to shoot over 50% from the field but also failing to shoot over 40% from the field on their own.
“We didn’t cover the line like we needed to, got beat off the dribble. Didn’t start the game the way we needed to. We gave up second shots, the three-point line, the rebounding probably hurt us,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Edwards is a tough cover, but you have to do more than one thing, have the ability to get in and get out and have an awareness with Naz Reid that open.
“If we leave him open he’s going to make those.”
Without Towns, New York showed they have struggled to be a true contender.
And the Timberwolves were perfectly ok with that.
