“We’re all banged up” – Jalen Brunson lauds Karl-Anthony Towns for gutting it out on Knicks despite knee injury

New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson sang praises for teammate Karl-Anthony Towns and his performance as of late. Towns has not only played a major role in keeping the Knicks’ playoff hopes alive, but he did so while hobbled on Thursday in Game 5.

Towns appeared to suffer an injury in Tuesday’s Game 4 showdown, leading to his questionable status for Game 5 with a left knee contusion. Despite the setback, the All-Star big man suited up and delivered a strong performance, helping New York stay alive in the playoffs with a 111-94 win.

Towns’ outing earned him high compliments from Brunson.

"I have the utmost respect for him and the way he's been able to play throughout this entire series and playoffs," Brunson said. "I mean we're all banged up, but we're all gonna push through. I had faith that he was gonna play last game."

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Towns managed to get a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds while playing through pain. He also had the biggest impact on winning as per the +/-, finishing with +26.

In five games against the Pacers, Towns has averaged 25.4 points on 51.8/42.3/81.1% shooting splits.

Also read: Jalen Brunson's fan delivers knockout blow to Bennedict Mathurin's fan as Knicks vs. Pacers rivalry turns wild outside MSG

Jalen Brunson talks about what the New York Knicks need to overcome the deficit against the Pacers

Despite their convincing Game 5 victory, the New York Knicks still need to win two games to put the Indiana Pacers away. While it isn't the ideal situation, star point guard Jalen Brunson knows what he and his team need to do to complete the comeback.

While speaking with the media ahead of Game 6's tip-off on Saturday, Brunson shared that it starts with having the right mindset.

"In order for us to win we've got to believe," Brunson said. "Just continue to trust in what we do, and make sure we have each other's back, and don't quit."

Brunson's offense has been vital throughout their Eastern Conference finals series against Indiana. His offense has been a challenge for the Pacers to fully contain, as he's averaged 33.0 points per game, shooting 51.4% and 36.1% from beyond the arc.

His best scoring performance was in Game 1 when he scored 43 points. The Pacers have held him under 30 points just once, limiting him to 23 on 33.33% shooting in Game 3.

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About the author

Miguel de Guzman

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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