New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Karl-Anthony Towns Suffers Hand Injury In Game 3 Loss

May 10th, 2025 at 9:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to say “I broke it” (Twitter video link) after getting hit on his left hand in Saturday’s game, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post.

Towns declined to elaborate on the injury when talking to reporters after the game. Reilly notes that he was able to remain on the court, although he shot just 5-of-18 in a 22-point loss to Boston.

“It is what it is. I just want to do whatever I can to be out there,” Towns responded when asked if he has a broken finger. “It is what it is. I’m gonna keep finding ways to play, so I ain’t tripping.”

Reilly adds that the reaction captured on the ABC broadcast came after Towns battled Luke Kornet for a rebound late in the second quarter. He was also seen wincing in the third quarter following a foul by Jrue Holiday. Towns posted 21 points and 15 rebounds, but he went just 1-of-5 from three-point range and is shooting 14.3% from beyond the arc in the series.

Towns refused to reveal whether he underwent an X-ray or any other tests after the game, saying he would “let [the Knicks] tell you that.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau was also guarded about releasing information on Towns’ condition, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

“It’s the playoffs,” Thibodeau said. “People are going to get hit and you have to play through things. That’s why you do it the entire season. No one is 100 percent. You have to understand that you can play well when you’re feeling less than your best, that’s all part of it. I think the mental toughness part of this in the playoffs is huge.”

Towns will have one day off to rest the hand before the series resumes Monday night.

Eastern Notes: Anunoby, Pistons, Raptors, Giannis

May 9th, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Knicks‘ swarming defense, led by wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, limited Boston to 90 points on 36.2% shooting in a Game 2 victory, veteran forward P.J. Tucker told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, that Anunoby was overlooked in a major way by Defensive Player of the Year voters this spring.

“OG’s been off the charts. I don’t know how he didn’t win Defensive Player of the Year,” Tucker said of his Knicks teammate. “I don’t think it’s even close. I think he’s the best two-way player in the league. He’s always played defense, but this year offensively he’s taken it up another notch. I don’t think we ran one play for him (in Game 1) and he had 30 points. I’m telling you, it’s incredible. He’s amazed me this year and he’s the Defensive Player of the Year, no doubt.”

This year’s voters weren’t aligned with Tucker — while 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, Anunoby wasn’t among those 13. Neither he nor any other Knick received a single DPOY vote.

The Knicks only finished 13th overall in defensive rating during the regular season, but they’ve taken their play up a notch in recent weeks and rank fourth in that category in the postseason.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Which of the Pistons‘ top four veteran unrestricted free agents are most and least likely to re-sign with the team this summer? Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) considers that question, identifying Malik Beasley as the most likely to be back, followed by – in order – Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Paul Reed. Sankofa wouldn’t be surprised if there’s mutual interest in each case, but thinks it makes sense for Hardaway to test the open market and suggests Detroit might need more size in the frontcourt than Reed provides.
Ahead of Monday’s draft lottery, Eric Koreen of The Athletic examines four hypothetical outcomes for the Raptors, including one where they remain at No. 7 and three where they move into the top four (but not to No. 1). Koreen likes Maryland’s Derik Queen as a potential target at No. 7 and notes that Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe could be the “cleanest fit for the Raptors in the lottery” if they move up to No. 3 or 4.
Asked during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link) for his thoughts on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future, veteran big man Bobby Portis said his longtime Bucks teammate “bleeds green,” adding that he believes the two-time MVP would like to spend his entire career with one team. Portis also pointed out that any team trading for Antetokounmpo would have to give up so many assets to land him that his new club may not end up in a better position than the Bucks to contend.

Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Sixers Arena, Lottery, Knicks

May 8th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Celtics squandered 20-point leads in each of their first two playoff games, both of which came at home against the Knicks. Boston star Jayson Tatum took full accountability for the two losses, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“I take full ownership of the way that I’ve played in this series and can’t sugarcoat anything,” Tatum said. “I need to be better, and I expect to be a lot better.”

Tatum has missed 30 shots across the first two games of the series, shooting 28.6% from the floor in those outings. The Celtics as a whole have missed 75 three-pointers in their two games.

“Guys work really hard on their game and their craft and prepare to be in those moments to hit open shots, and it just hasn’t happened the last two games,” Tatum said. “But you can’t lose your confidence.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers‘ arena will be known going forward as the Xfinity Mobile Arena, effective in September and running through the 2030/31 season, according to The Associated Press. Wells Fargo announced last year it would not renew its naming rights agreement for the building.
No NBA team has had better lottery luck over the years than the Sixers, who have moved up in eight of 18 lottery appearances, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As Pompey details, no other franchise during that time has matched Philadelphia’s success in terms of spots improved. Ahead of Monday’s lottery, the Sixers are hoping their lottery luck holds, at least enough for them to keep their top-six protected first-rounder.
The Knicks‘ experience has helped them build on a 2-0 lead over the Celtics in the playoffs, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. The team has now won a playoff series in three consecutive seasons and is getting more comfortable playing on this stage in the spring. “I don’t think we even know what we’re capable of,” Josh Hart said after Game 2. “We have to continue to build. We have to continue to put together a full game. I think that’s something that we haven’t done during the course of these playoffs. We get leads. We surrender leads. We come back from big leads. We’ve got to figure out a complete game and that can answer some of those questions.“

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Robinson, Brunson, Towns, More

May 8th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Mikal Bridges came away with the game-sealing steal against the Celtics on Wednesday. And in Game 1 on Monday, his late three-pointer helped the Knicks secure victory in overtime. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes that while Bridges’ tenure in New York started off on the wrong foot, no one is thinking about the draft picks the Knicks gave up to acquire the defensive-minded wing with the Celtics on the ropes.

“Get your damn apology forms out,” teammate Josh Hart said. “I’ll be collecting them next game.”

As Edwards writes, Bridges’ performance reflects his ability to overcome adversity.

“Going back to our days in college, the way we practiced and prepared for games, it was more mental than anything,” Bridges’ Villanova and Knicks teammate Jalen Brunson said. “Then, when you get to the game situations, you’ve practiced it and been prepared for it. When you do that at a young age and have that in your repertoire going into a professional career, you have that in your back pocket. He has the ability to block out the noise.”

We have more from the Knicks:

Mitchell Robinson proved to be a major force for the Knicks in their Game 2 win, Zach Braziller of the New York Post observes. The Knicks outscored the Celtics by 19 points with Robinson on the court and he recorded six points, eight rebounds and three steals in the win.
Brunson opened Game 2 on a rough note, shooting just 23.1% from the field through three quarters. However, in crunch time, the 2024/25 Clutch Player of the Year showed up, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. He wound up scoring nine points in the fourth quarter to help lift New York over Boston. “That’s Jalen,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the game, he’s going to be at his best when his best is needed.”
Add Karl-Anthony Towns and Hart to the list of players who stood out when their numbers were called, Schwartz and the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy write in separate stories. “KAT, the way he started off the game was great for us,” Brunson said. “The way he’s been throughout the entire season, he’s been one of the best teammates we have. The way he gives us energy and the way he goes and gets rebounds and what he does, it doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s just the way he’s been.“

And-Ones: Vezenkov, Metu, Bad Contracts, Front Offices, More

May 8th, 2025 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA forward Sasha Vezenkov, who spent the 2023/24 season with the Kings, is enjoying a hugely successful return to Europe this season. Vezenkov finished as the runner-up in EuroLeague MVP voting after averaging 20.2 points per game for Olympiacos and has now been named the EuroLeague Playoffs MVP for his performance in the Greek team’s quarterfinal series vs. Real Madrid, according to a press release.

It’s the first time the EuroLeague has named a Playoffs MVP — the award doesn’t encompass the league’s Final Four, which will be played later this month. Vezenkov, who gave up a fully guaranteed $6.7MM salary with the Raptors last summer in order to head back overseas, will be looking to lead Olympiacos to a win over AS Monaco on May 23 in the semifinals and – ultimately – to a EuroLeague championship.

In other European basketball news, Barcelona is parting ways with former NBA big man Chimezie Metu, who tore his Achilles in March, per a Mundo Deportivo report (hat tip to Sportando).

After appearing in 260 regular season games for four NBA teams from 2018-24, Metu played a key role for Barça this season prior to the injury, averaging 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game across 24 EuroLeague outings.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report identifies five star players he believes have negative trade value due to their massive contracts, including a pair of Sixers (Joel Embiid and Paul George) and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Interestingly, Pincus gives Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen an honorable mention, noting that one Eastern Conference executive referred to Markkanen’s deal (four years, $196MM) as the worst in the league. That’s “probably hyperbolic,” Pincus writes, though he notes that several teams view the contract as a major overpay.
In an article open to non-subscribers, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) hands out his front office awards – the “Yossis” – for the 2024/25 NBA season. Gozlan recognizes the Thunder for their overall salary cap management, the Knicks for their creative cap machinations in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and the Hawks for most improving their long-term outlook over the past year, while also handing out a few other awards.
Even before home teams opened the second round by losing their first six games, the impact of home-court advantage in the NBA playoffs was on the decline, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. According to Vorkunov, home teams won at least 60 percent of their games in 56 of the NBA’s first 78 postseasons, but that hasn’t happened since 2018 — and home teams have lost 10 of 15 Game Sevens since 2021. So far this spring, teams have a home record of just 26-24 in the playoffs.

Knicks Notes: Defense, Hart, Boston, Robinson

May 7th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau made a major defensive adjustment during the first game of New York’s ongoing series against the Celtics, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscriber link).

The Knicks opted to frequently switch on pick-and-rolls, a shift from their regular season approach to those coverages. It threw the reigning champs out of rhythm, as Braziller observes, and has the Celtics back on their heels as they look for their first home win of the series.

New York survived Game 1, in Boston, with a 108-105 upset in overtime.

The pick-and-roll change has led to All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns being consistently switched onto ball-handlers, write Fred Katz and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The club’s stated plan with this approach was to combat the Celtics’ outside shooting.

“(When) switching, (you’re) trying to take away some of their threes: catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop threes,” guard Josh Hart said. “(We are) making sure when we do switch that the guy is not on an island. He has two, three (teammates) behind him ready to help, ready to step up, and just make it difficult for them.”

It worked: Boston, the most prolific three-point shooting team of the regular season, shot just 15-for-60 from long range.

There’s more out of New York:

Hart was a major X-factor for the Knicks during that surprise Game 1 road win, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The veteran forward helped New York erase a 20-point early deficit by keying a critical 31-11 second quarter run. “I think for me it’s always how can I find a way to spark this team,” Hart said. “Whether that’s knocking down a shot, making a defensive play, a rebound, you know, pushing in transition, getting an offensive rebound for an extra shot… That’s just kind of what I’m trying to find throughout the game, especially when you go down by double digits, you go down by 20. You’re just trying to find something to spark that team.” The 6’4″ swingman notched a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, while also recording three assists and two steals, in 45 minutes of action.
In Game 1, Boston frequently took to fouling Knicks center Mitchell Robinson in an effort to stop plays and reclaim the ball, figuring his career 52.2% free throw shooting was worth the risk. He went just 3-of-10 from the line in Game 1. According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, it represents the opposition’s respect for how dangerous Robinson can be when he’s not a foul-shooting liability. Robinson’s post defense and per-minute rebounding make him a lethal contributor for New York. “I think he was a plus-13 when on the floor,” Thibodeau said of Robinson. “The reason they’re doing it is to try and get him off the floor. He gives us the ability to switch more but also rim protect and rebound. If they’re not in the penalty, then we can lean on him and go from there.”
In case you missed it, Knicks wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges helped justify the price the Knicks paid to re-sign and acquire them, respectively, with huge defensive nights in Game 1.

Celtics’ Hauser Out For Game 2; Porzingis Available

May 7th, 2025 at 5:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Celtics reserve forward Sam Hauser has been downgraded and will sit out Wednesday night’s Game 2 clash against the Knicks, while center Kristaps Porzingis has been upgraded to available and will play, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

The updates don’t come as a major surprise. On Tuesday, Hauser was considered doubtful to suit up due to a sprained right ankle. Hauser had been spotted leaving TD Garden in a walking boot after Game 1, a 108-105 overtime New York road win on Monday. He had played for all of four minutes.

Hauser, 27, was a major three-point threat for Boston along the wing during the regular season, connecting on 41.6% of his 5.6 triples per night. However, even prior to the ankle injury, Hauser had been shifted into a more minimal role during the playoffs. In Boston’s five-game conference quarterfinal series against Orlando, Hauser averaged just 3.2 PPG and 1.6 RPG across 14.6 MPG.

Porzingis, meanwhile, departed Game 1 in the first half with an illness, and had been listed as probable to play for Wednesday against his former team. Porzingis was only on the court for 13 minutes in that contest. He went scoreless on four field goal tries, but did notch four rebounds and an assist.

According to Celtics play-by-play radio commentator Sean Grande of 98.5 FM Boston (Twitter link), Porzingis will come off the bench for the first time in the playoffs this year, with reserve big man Al Horford starting in his stead.

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Anunoby, Hart, McBride, Robinson

May 6th, 2025 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks raised eyebrows last offseason when they surrendered five first-round picks in a trade for Mikal Bridges, then committed over $212MM in guaranteed money to OG Anunoby. Neither player was expected to be a top-two offensive option for New York in 2024/25, but the team recognized the value of having two of the NBA’s best two-way wings.

Monday’s win over Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals showed exactly why the Knicks were willing to give up such a significant trade package for Bridges, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com, and why they were comfortable investing so heavily in Anunoby, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes.

Bridges scored only eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, but made several crucial defensive plays in his 51 minutes of action, including a late-game steal that prevented Jaylen Brown from attempting a game-tying three-pointer and secured the victory for the Knicks.

“That’s who Mikal is. He’s (gotten) a lot of criticism and he never lets that affect him,” teammate Josh Hart said after the win, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “I don’t know how many games down the stretch that he’s won for us on the defensive side alone — the Brooklyn game, the block, the Chicago game he got a block at the end. A couple in the Detroit series. He’s been a huge part for this team. Sometimes those things get overlooked and people just look at stats and they lose sight of how valuable a player that he is.”

Anunoby, who served as the primary defender on Jayson Tatum, helped limit the Celtics star to a 7-of-23 shooting night while also matching Jalen Brunson‘s team-high 29 points.

“Definitely sparked us,” Brunson said of Anunoby. “And the way he’s been playing all season, I have the utmost confidence in him every time he steps on the floor, on both sides of the ball. So it’s what we expect.”

We have more on the Knicks:

New York loaded up on wings – adding Bridges to complement Anunoby and Hart – in large part to combat Eastern Conference stars like Tatum and Brown. While that vision was questioned during the regular season as the Knicks lost all four of their matchups with the Celtics, the blueprint is as clear as it’s been all year following Monday’s Game 1 upset, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Reserve guard Miles McBride struggled during the first round of the playoffs vs. Detroit, averaging 3.8 points per game on 26.7% shooting. In Game 1 vs. Boston, he had 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, finally giving the Knicks the kind of boost they’d been hoping for off the bench, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson made just 3-of-10 free throws on Monday and is now 7-of-25 (28.0%) in the playoffs. Although the Celtics effectively employed a hack-a-Robinson strategy for a little while in Game 1, the big man downplayed his struggles from the foul line, as Schwartz relays for The Post. “Basketball is not just about free throws,” Robinson said. “You got defense, you got rebounds, offensive rebounds — there’s more to it than just free throws. That’s like the only part I need to work on, my free throws. Everything else, I’m straight.” To Robinson’s point, New York outscored Boston by 13 points during his 21 minutes on the court.

Atlantic Notes: Hart, Knicks, Robinson, Kornet, Nets

May 5th, 2025 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Josh Hart‘s contributions will be even more invaluable to the Knicks in their second-round series, which began tonight, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes.

While the Knicks were able to answer runs against the inexperienced Pistons in their first-round series, the defending champion Celtics possess a killer instinct to bury teams once momentum shifts their way. Hart can guide his teammates through those storms.

“For me, I’ve said it all year, it’s how can I get my guys going? How can I help them get an easy shot or an open look or get their energy into the game? A lot of that I do by example,” Hart said. “I’ll talk to guys obviously, but it’s making a big play here or there, a hustle play that will get one of those guys an open shot that they knock down, now they’re feeling good, the energy is up. That’s something I always try to do, that I hang my hat on.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

A big concern for the Knicks is matching up against the Celtics‘ bench, Schwartz notes. Boston has the Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard, and several other contributors in reserve, while Miles McBride struggled during New York’s first-round series. Mitchell Robinson was the only second-unit player who provided consistent production against Detroit and they’ll need that again from him in this series.
Speaking of Celtics reserves, Luke Kornet had to make a major career adjustment with the team. They asked him to be more of an interior presence, rather than joining the long list of big men tasked with stretching the floor. “It was actually really hard,” Kornet told Brian Robb of Masslive.com. “All of a sudden, the thing that I was most proud of and felt was my identity, and the reason I was in the NBA was kind of gone.”
The Nets‘ stockpile of draft picks is more valuable than ever, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. They have multiple picks in this year’s loaded draft, plenty of extra picks and picks swap in future seasons. Cheap rookie contracts are more important now because of the restrictions in the current CBA.

And-Ones: Award Announcements, Draft Assets, Fournier, NBC Theme Song

May 4th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA will announce the Coach of the Year award winner on Monday evening, the league’s PR department tweets.

Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Ime Udoka (Rockets) are the three finalists. Atkinson, who led Cleveland to the best record in the East, is considered a heavy favorite to win the award.

The Executive of the Year award will be announced on Tuesday and the Social Justice Champion will be revealed on Wednesday.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Not surprisingly, the Thunder are ranked No. 1 in the league in terms of draft assets by ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo. They could potentially have three first-rounders in this year’s draft. They have six extra first-rounders in future years, plus swap rights to three years. They also own 17 future second-rounders. The Nets, Jazz, Rockets and Hornets round out the top five.
Evan Fournier, who is currently looking to win a EuroLeague championship with Olympiacos in Greece, spoke about a handful of topics, including his disappointing experience with the Knicks, in an interview with Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required). Fournier played two-and-a-half seasons in New York and finished last season with the Pistons.
“Roundball Rock” is back. NBC will bring back the sports theme song next season when the network begins its 11-year media rights deal to air NBA games. Music composer and radio and TV personality John Tesh wrote “Roundball Rock,” which became popular during NBC’s coverage of the league from 1990-2002, according to Jenna West of The Athletic.