Karl-Anthony Towns gave it a go.
With his Knicks’ season on the line, the All-Star center was in the starting lineup for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden after being listed as questionable with a left knee contusion.
Towns’ status was officially announced about a half hour before Thursday night’s tip-off. Head coach Tom Thibodeau had described Towns as a game-time decision, and Towns did not take the court at his normal time for pre-game warm-ups.
The injury occurred with about two minutes left in the Knicks’ 130-121 loss in Game 4 when Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith crashed into Towns on a drive to the basket.
The collision caused Towns to fall to the court, hold that left knee and writhe in pain.
Towns played the remainder of that fourth quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse but was visibly hobbled. He was then tight-lipped about the state of his knee.
“I’m only thinking about the loss,” Towns said at the podium after Game 4. “I’m not thinking about that right now. It’s disappointing when you don’t get a win. We just didn’t do enough to get the job done.”
Towns, 29, underwent surgery for a lateral meniscus tear in that left knee in March 2024, when he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He missed time during the 2024-25 regular season with patellar tendonopathy in the same knee.
Towns entered Thursday night’s Game 5 averaging 25.8 points on 52.4% shooting and 11.5 rebounds per game in an up-and-down conference finals.
He spent nearly seven minutes on the bench in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ Game 2 loss on a night he struggled defensively. Towns’ 20-point fourth quarter in Game 3, meanwhile, fueled a furious come-from-behind victory.
The bulk of Towns’ success in the first four games came with point guard Jalen Brunson on the bench.
The Knicks traded forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves in October to acquire Towns, hoping the sharp-shooting 7-footer would put them over the top.
Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the regular season en route to a selection on the All-NBA third team.
The knee contusion added to the list of postseason ailments for Towns, who suffered a finger injury on his left, non-shooting hand in Game 3 of the Knicks’ second-round series against the Boston Celtics. He did not miss any time due to that injury.
Nesmith, who suffered a right ankle sprain in Game 3, was also active Thursday after being listed as questionable. He returned toward the end of Game 3 and started Game 4, scoring 16 points in 32 minutes.