Karl-Anthony Towns Downplays Hand Injury After Knicks' Game 3 Loss, 'It is What it is'
Despite lip-reading experts suggesting Karl-Anthony Towns said he broke his hand during the Knicks' Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics, the big man is downplaying the injury.
“It is what it is,” Towns told reporters when asked about his hand and how fans have interpreted the injury. “I just want to do whatever I can to be out there.”
During the Knicks' 115-93 loss to the Celtics on Saturday in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Towns grimaced and clutched his left hand in pain after lofting a floater over Al Horford and Jrue Holiday midway through the second quarter.
Later in the game, after battling for a rebound with Luke Kornet, cameras caught Towns appearing to tell teammates, "I think I broke it," during the broadcast.
He continued to favor the hand for the remainder of the contest.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau offered little detail on Towns' condition specifically but emphasized the toughness required in the playoffs.
“It’s the playoffs,” Thibodeau told reporters. “People are going to get hit and you have to play through things.”
“That’s why you do it the entire season,” Thibodeau continued. “No one’s playing 100 percent. You have to understand that you can play well when you’re feeling less than your best, that’s all part of it. I think the mental toughness part of this in the playoffs is huge.”
Towns finished Saturday’s contest with 21 points and 15 rebounds, gutting through the apparent hand injury.
The Knicks will look to bounce back in Game 4 at home against the Celtics, aiming to put Boston on the brink of elimination after taking a 2-0 series lead before Saturday’s setback.
