Mike Brown kept hearing the same message over and over again.
Without Jalen Brunson due to a sprained ankle and quickly without OG Anunoby due to a hamstring strain suffered in the first quarter, the Knicks made it a point to get Karl-Anthony Towns going early during their 140-132 win over the Heat on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
That emphasis came from Brown’s assistant, Rick Brunson.
“We wanted to play through him. It was great. Rick Brunson was the first one to say it,” Brown said. “He was like, ‘Hey, keep playing through KAT. Keep playing through KAT. Keep playing through KAT.’ ”
Towns was the most aggressive he has been all year, scoring 18 points in the first quarter and 31 in the first half.
He took 10 shots in the first quarter and 16 in the first half.
In the second half, he was double-teamed and became a facilitator.
“I don’t want to force trying to get 60 and lose the game,” Towns said. “That’s the most important thing: to win the game, so I’m happy that experience has taught me a lot, and I just didn’t force the game. Just being aggressive, being aggressive with the playmaking and getting my teammates open for the betterment of our team.”
The Knicks did not have an update on OG Anunoby on Saturday.
He exited Friday’s win in the first quarter with a left hamstring strain.
Mitchell Robinson’s otherworldly offensive rebounding has become routine.
So much so that his eight offensive boards didn’t get a mention from Brown during his opening statement after Friday’s win.
“I am getting a little jaded,” Brown joked. “… I’m a long-winded guy, as you guys all know, and I felt like I was going too long, so I didn’t want to rehash or revisit.”
Then Brown made sure to shout out Robinson’s effort.
“Freaking Mitch Robinson, oh my God,” Brown yelled. “Eight freaking offensive rebounds! Way to go Mitch!”
James Borrego, whom the Knicks interviewed this past offseason for their head coaching vacancy, took over as the Pelicans’ interim head coach after they fired Willie Green on Saturday.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
