Is Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns playing vs. Hawks? Latest injury update
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The New York Knicks will host the Atlanta Hawks in a Martin Luther King Day matinee matchup on Monday at Madison Square Garden. Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are questionable on the team’s injury report. Towns is dealing with a right thumb sprain, while Hart is battling a neck injury.
Here’s everything we know about both players’ injuries and playing statuses vs. the Hawks.
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Karl-Anthony Towns injury status for Knicks-Hawks
Towns has missed the Knicks’ last two games after injuring his Thumb during a Jan. 13 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The star center played through discomfort, posting 26 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-17 shooting from the field, 4-of-9 from three and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He declined to say whether he underwent X-rays following the loss.
New York listed Towns as questionable for their last two games before ruling him out. A questionable tag indicates he is trending in the right direction, although his status remains unclear. The four-time All-Star has been among the NBA’s top big men this season, averaging 25.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 55/45/84 shooting splits.
Hart injuries his neck while taking a hard fall during the third quarter of Friday’s 116-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The veteran wing exited for the locker room but quickly returned, finishing the game with 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals on 3-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from three.
While Hart’s injury initially appeared to be to his shoulder, the Knicks officially listed it as officially listed his injury as a neck/cervical compression. A questionable tag indicates the ailment will not hold him out for an extended period, although it’s unclear how long it could linger. The 29-year-old has averaged 14.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals on 56/36/81 shooting splits while missing only one game this season.
Hart and Towns participated in practice on Sunday, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.
"They went through practice, and we'll see where they are tomorrow. They were fine,” Thibodeau told the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
Jalen Brunson said both of his teammates “looked fantastic.”
Following a nine-game winning streak, New York has come back to earth while entering a more challenging portion of their schedule. The Knicks have lost six of its last nine games. They rank 12th in offense, 27th in defense and 21st in net rating (-3.1) during that span.
Meanwhile, Atlanta enters Monday’s matchup on a three-game winning streak. The Hawks secured their most impressive win of the season on Saturday, defeating the Boston Celtics 119-115 in overtime at TD Garden.
Trae Young (right Achilles tendonitis) and Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) are questionable for the Knicks matchup. Zaccharie Risacher will miss the game due to a left adductor strain.
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