Knicks' Josh Hart stands up for Karl-Anthony Towns after loss to Clippers
Yesterday at 12:48 PM
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart stood up for his center, Karl-Anthony Towns, who reportedly took time off due to the loss of a close friend to cancer. Towns missed a matchup against the Golden State Warriors, of which Warriors forward Draymond Green accused him of ducking Jimmy Butler. Then, Karl-Anthony turned in an abysmal performance in New York's 113-109 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Towns bounced back in Friday's 105-95 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. Karl-Anthony notched a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds). After the game, Hart stood up for his All-Star teammate.
"It's tough. A lot of you guys forget we're humans. Or you guys look at us like we're animals in a petting zoo or a parlay, and y'all forget that we're actual people, that we have real life problems and traumas and things like that that we have to navigate. We give him a lot of credit; we're there for him, and I think everyone has to keep that in mind when they see things. People say stupid things when they don't understand and… We're humans."
"It's tough. A lot of you guys forget we're humans. Or you guys look at us like we're animals in a petting zoo or a parlay and y'all forget that we're actual people, that we have real life problems and traumas and things like that that we have to navigate. We give him a lot of… pic.twitter.com/pEziNfAQ5c
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 8, 2025
Bouncing back from his 12-point performance against the Lakers, Towns also finished with two assists and a pair of steals against the Clippers. Mikal Bridges supplied 22 points, five assists, and four rebounds, and Hart added 14 points, 20 rebounds, and six assists. The Knicks shot 38.5% from the floor. James Harden's 27 points led the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard added 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, and Nicolas Batum added 17 points.
Tom Thibodeau's cryptic response for Karl-Anthony Towns' absence
Head coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn't share any details over Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns' absence. After missing the Knicks' matchup against the Warriors, Thibodeau wouldn't elaborate on why Towns missed a game. However, he did say the All-Star center needed time.
It didn't seem like Thibodeau disagreed with the decision to take a game off. Thibodeau couldn't confirm if Towns was heading to Los Angeles for matchups against the Lakers and Clippers, per SNY TV's Ian Begley.
"I can't answer that," Thibodeau said. "I can't, because I just don't know, so when he's ready to come back, obviously we want him back. But he needs some time right now."
Knicks guard Josh Hart expresses his public support for Towns, demonstrating the kind of teammate Hart is during this difficult time for his center. After a 0-2 start, the Knicks' five-game road trip continues against the Kings on Monday.
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