Partway through the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference playoff series between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns injured his hand.
However, Towns downplayed the injury after the game, though he also refused to answer a question as to whether he got an X-ray on his hand.
Karl-Anthony Towns was asked about his hand injury:
"It is what it is. I just want to do whatever I can to be out there."
When asked, Towns declined to elaborate on whether or not he got an X-ray or any other imaging on the hand pic.twitter.com/Mk170EEMvM
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 10, 2025
Knicks reporter Stefan Bondy came out with a report on Sunday that seemingly corroborates Towns’ comments downplaying his injury. According to Bondy, Towns is not listed on the injury report ahead of Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who appeared to hurt his finger yesterday, is NOT on the injury report for tomorrow night’s Game 4, a league source told The Post.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) May 11, 2025
That’s great news from the Knicks’ side of the coin, as they are looking to avoid dropping a second consecutive playoff game at home after the Celtics dominated them in Game 3. The Knicks are still ahead in the series, as they won Games 1 and 2 at TD Garden in Boston.
But Towns’ scoring performance in Game 3 suggested that perhaps his hand injury negatively impacted him in the contest. While he scored 21 points, it took him 18 shot attempts to reach that point total, and he shot just 5-of-18 from the field. He also connected on just one of his five 3-point attempts.
How Towns fares scoring the ball, particularly from the perimeter, will be a fascinating storyline to follow as this series goes on. He’s one of the elite outside shooters at the big man position in the league when at full strength, as he shot 42.0 percent from 3 during the 2024-25 regular season.
Knicks fans are likely hoping that Towns will be able to put the ball through the net with great efficiency when the Knicks take on the Celtics in a pivotal Game 4 on Monday night.
It’s quite possible that the winner of the contest could go on to win the series, as a victory for the Celtics would knot up the series at two games apiece heading back to Boston, while the Knicks can go up 3-1 on the defending champs with a win.
