Karl-Anthony Towns helped keep the Knicks season alive by shooting 50 percent from the field on 20 shots in game five, scoring 24 points and finishing with a game-high +26 to force a game six in Indiana.
But Towns once again found himself in foul trouble, committing four fouls which forced Tom Thibodeau to put his star forward on the bench for a stretch, and the Pacers immediately cut into New York’s lead once Towns hit the pine.
After the win, Towns appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA postgame show, and both Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal called out Towns for the consistent “dumb” fouls that put Thibodeau and the Knicks in a bind.
“Why have you been getting them dumb fouls?” Barkley asked. “Why do you do that?”
“I was gonna ask you the same question,” Shaq cut in.
Towns laughed at the question before acknowledging that he needs to be more disciplined on the floor.
“God only knows,” Towns said. “I gotta do a much better job...you ain’t wrong. It hurts our team.”
Barkley noted the run Indiana went on right after Towns was taken out of the game, while Shaq noted that it happens to Towns “every game.” Clearly, Towns at his best is one of the biggest impact players in this series, and the Pacers have not shown an ability to guard him so far. So, if the Knicks are to complete a miracle comeback, he will have to be on the floor.
“I want to give a shoutout to the bench. The guys, everyone who comes in, they hold it down, even when I’m making those mistakes,” Towns said. “I gotta fix that though.”