Karl-Anthony Towns left everything on the Garden floor yesterday night, including his blood. The New York Knicks’ big man posted an image postgame photo on Instagram showing the cut above his right eye, adding just two words: “good W.”
Boxing champion Bud Crawford also commented, “Bro went 12 rounds and got the W,” to which Towns replied, “Look like I fought you.”
Karl-Anthony Towns on Instagram
The gritty performance capped New York’s double-overtime thriller over the Denver Nuggets, extending the Knicks’ winning streak to eight games.
Most importantly, it is Towns’ determination to fight the injury and, at the same time, take the challenge as a warrior.
Towns Bleeds but Keeps Playing After First-Quarter Collision
It was quite a frightening experience, actually, when Towns in the last moments of the first quarter aggressively went for a layup and accidentally bumped heads with Spencer Jones of Denver.
The impact caused a serious cut above Towns’ right eye and the blood was literally dripping down his face and onto his shirt.
The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he came back in the second quarter, wearing a clean jersey and a thick bandage over his eye.
After the game, he made a light comment on the broadcast: “It’s okay, I look like I fought Shakur Stevenson.”
KAT’s Clutch Performance Fuels Double-OT Victory
Feb 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Whether bandaged or not, Towns was unstoppable. At 10:20 of the first quarter, he snatched a defensive rebound and shortly after drilled a 25-foot three-pointer assisted by Mikal Bridges to give New York a slight advantage early in the game.
Before the end of the quarter, he nailed two back-to-back free throws at 30.8 seconds to give the Knicks a 28-27 lead.
During the second quarter Towns went ballistic with his scoring, banging a driving layup off Jalen Brunson’s pass and landing a 26-foot running three from Bridges.
He went for a free throw line tie at 51, and before the break, he assisted OG Anunoby for a dunk by the rim.
Later in the third, Towns finished a nice Anunoby pass for a lay-in, tapping in his rebound at 9:49 to extend the rally.
In overtime, his heroic contribution continued when he put back an offensive rebound to give New York the lead at 115-114, and then he converted a Brunson pass for a 119-117 lead in the extra period.
Towns finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds in the 134-127 win, while Brunson led all scorers with 42.
Jalen Brunson summed it up: “He came back with a vengeance and played great. Played tough.”
Jalen Brunson on Karl-Anthony Towns:
“He came back with a vengeance and played great. Played tough” pic.twitter.com/HLpUgU4JIM
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 5, 2026
Mitchell Robinson, asked about Towns shooting free throws with a bloody eye, said simply: “That’s a battle scar. Fighting for your life out there.”
Mitchell Robinson was asked about Karl-Anthony Towns taking free throws with a bloody eye
KAT: “Man he didn’t care, you see him do that crossover into the dunk? That was nasty” 😂
Mitch:” That’s a battle scar. Fighting for your life out there” pic.twitter.com/aK4cEeIgUR
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 5, 2026