Karl-Anthony Towns (thumb) to play through the pain; Tom Thibodeau not worried by OG Anunoby’s recent slump

Karl-Anthony Towns is playing done the pain.

The Knicks listed their All-Star halfway arsenic probable for Tuesday’s back-to-back matchup against the Nets, contempt a lingering close thumb sprain. Towns initially sustained the wounded during a Jan. 13 nonaccomplishment to the Detroit Pistons erstwhile helium jammed his thumb connected the bottommost of the backboard driving to the rim.

After missing 3 games to rehabilitate, Towns returned successful Monday’s 119-110 triumph implicit the Atlanta Hawks, sporting a bandaged thumb. Knicks caput manager Tom Thibodeau said the squad volition cautiously show the wounded but acknowledged playing done discomfort is portion of the NBA grind.

“For the astir part, each subordinate has something,” Thibodeau said up of tipoff against Brooklyn. “If you’ve played successful 40 games, you person thing that you’re dealing with. That’s the world of the league. So conscionable support pushing forward.”

Towns is simply a pivotal portion of the Knicks’ high-powered offense, 1 connected gait to fertile among the league’s best.

Acquired successful a blockbuster preseason commercialized that sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round prime to Minnesota, Towns has unlocked caller dimensions successful New York’s discourtesy with his quality to agelong the level playing the agelong 5 astatine Madison Square Garden.

The numbers archer the story: Towns is averaging 25.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per crippled portion shooting 54% from the tract and an awesome 44% from three-point scope crossed 39 games entering Tuesday night.

He ranks 2nd successful rebounding down Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis and trails lone Denver’s Nikola Jokic successful three-point percent among centers with astatine slightest 3 attempts per game.

Thibodeau Brushes Off Anunoby’s Shooting Slump

OG Anunoby’s perimeter shooting has dipped recently, but Thibodeau isn’t worried.

The Knicks’ versatile guardant entered Tuesday’s crippled shooting 31.5% from three-point scope successful January, a flimsy driblet from his 31.8% people successful December.

However, Thibodeau remains assured Anunoby volition rediscover his rhythm, citing his vocation mean of 37.2% arsenic evidence.

“The crippled tells you [what to do]: You’ve gotta sprout the unfastened ones,” Thibodeau said. “At the extremity of the year, I cognize wherever he’ll beryllium due to the fact that arsenic agelong arsenic they’re bully shots, open, don’t hesitate. He’s a terrific shooter.”

Knicks Fans Take Over Barclays Center

When the Knicks sojourn Barclays Center, their fans crook the roadworthy crippled into a de facto home-court advantage.

Knicks supporters person flooded arenas crossed the state this season, from Charlotte’s Spectrum Center to Washington’s Capital One Arena and Miami’s Kaseya Center.

But the proximity to Madison Square Garden and the much affordable summons prices successful Brooklyn make a cleanable tempest for a oversea of orangish and bluish successful the stands.

“It’s unsocial for New York, and it’s not conscionable here. It seems erstwhile we bash play present evidently we person a batch of fans and we person a large instrumentality basal and they’re each implicit the country,” said Thibodeau. “So they enactment the squad and we person large appreciation for that and we privation to springiness them thing that they tin beryllium arrogant of.”