Karl-Anthony Towns said he played with level 2 quad tension in Knicks' 119–111 season-opening win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Towns missed New York's final two preseason games with what the team called a quad issue, and his status for the season opener at Madison Square Garden fluctuated from probable to questionable back to questionable in the hours leading up to Wednesday's tipoff.
The All-Star detailed his injury after the Knicks improved to 1-0 at home against the same Cavaliers who won a conference-best 64 games last season.
“Oh yeah. I got hurt a lot and didn't have a chance to practice or play in the last two preseason games, but I don't want to disappoint the fans,” Towns said at his locker after the game. “Dealing with a grade 2 quadriceps strain is not easy. But we did it today. I'm glad the fans respected my efforts to play tonight, and so did my teammates. So thank you to them for supporting me and understanding the situation I was in.”
Towns scored 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field with 11 rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes in Wednesday's opener.
“We needed every rebound those guys got,” head coach Mike Brown said after the game.
It was Towns' best early-season performance after mediocre exhibition games that helped him get ready for the real game.
“Oh, it definitely hurt,” Towns said. “It was a day for me living in it and for you trying to communicate it, so it was a hell of a day. But at the end I'm glad, oh my God. We got the win, New York is happy, the fans are happy. Everything is good.”
Towns is among a list of Knicks players who have battled injuries during training camp. Knicks beat Josh Hart (lumbar spasms) and Mitchell Robinson (load management, left ankle) against the Cavaliers, and O.G. Anunoby also dealt with an injured ankle that kept him out of the preseason finale.
With a small composition, On Wednesday, Brown increased his rotation to 11 players.
“Just allowing ourselves to change the energy of the game at any given moment,” Towns said. “We have a lot of quality guys here and giving them a chance to impact the game and get a win is a great testament to firstly the trust that we as teammates have in each other here in this dressing room and [two] The coaching staff trusts the players, so shout out to them.”
