CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Knicks were getting pounded on the glass and by Charlotte’s pick-and-rolls, coach Mike Brown again left Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench.
It was the second straight game the All-Star center didn’t close, with Mitchell Robinson getting more minutes in Thursday’s 114-103 loss to the Hornets.
“I just do my best to cheer for my teammates,” Towns, who played just 22 minutes with 13 points on eight shot attempts, said, “and whenever my number is called, be the best version of myself for my team.”
Brown said the rebounding element — the Knicks lost the board battle 43-24 — was “part” of the reason he turned to Robinson.
The other part?
“I just thought when we had Mitch in there with certain guys, we were able to match their physicality,” Brown said. “And we made a run. But we were down 20 at that time. And versus a good team on the road, that’s tough to do.”
Towns was subbed out with eight minutes remaining and the Knicks trailing by 21.
They cut the Hornets’ lead to 10 with two minutes left but it was too late.
Robinson finished with 26 minutes and six rebounds.
The Knicks outscored the Hornets by eight points when he was on the court.
It was the first time Robinson played more minutes than Towns when they both were available.
Two nights earlier, Towns was benched down the stretch because the Knicks went with a small lineup in a victory over the Pelicans.
As the NBA continues to deal with its load management problem and battles the players union over its 65-game rule for postseason awards eligibility, Towns said it’s a point of pride that he suits up regularly.
“I damn sure haven’t felt my best all year, all day. But I want to play. I love playing,” he said. “I do believe in the philosophy that there may, especially at MSG with how expensive the tickets are, there may be a family or a young kid who has saved up all his money to watch me play that one night, and for me not to be available would be disrespectful to that kid and to that family. As long as I can play, I’m going to be out there playing, hopefully give that kid a show.”
Towns has missed just four games this season and is on pace for his most appearances since at least the 2018-19 campaign.
He’s also surpassed the NBA’s 65-game threshold, which became a point of contention with the players union after Cade Cunningham was deemed ineligible after suffering a season-ending collapsed lung.
“We’ll step back and take a look at it, and we’ll see what we can do to help everyone and make it a compromise where the fans know that we’re trying to play and also the players are taken care of,” said Towns, who is a VP of the players union.
