LOS ANGELES — Karl-Anthony Towns will play Thursday night against the Lakers after missing the previous game for personal reasons, league sources told The Post.
On Tuesday, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Towns “needs some time” and he didn’t know if his starting center would fly with the team for the five-game road trip.
Later, Towns’ girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, hinted at the personal issue by posting on X, “cancer sucks,” with no further context.
New York’s offense went flat without Towns in the 114-102 loss to the Warriors, managing just 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks (40-21) are 3-3 this season in games without Towns, who has dealt with knee and thumb injuries.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns will be available to play against the Lakers on Thursday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Mitchell Robinson, who only returned last week from a 10-month absence, started in Towns’ spot against the Warriors.
The Lakers (39-21) have won seven straight and beat the Knicks last month at MSG.
Towns missed Tuesday’s loss due to personal reasons. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Mitchell Robinson still may be getting his legs back under him after such a long layoff, but that shouldn’t stop him from being a vocal defensive anchor.
“For me, it’s like I’ve gotta be more talkative,” Robinson said after Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors. “I don’t think I communicated to the guys as much as I should have. I’ve just gotta be better defensively. I let a guy get behind me a few times, and that’s something I usually don’t let happen, so I take full responsibility.”
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New York’s defense fell apart in the second half against Golden State, allowing 67 points after the break on 60 percent shooting.
Robinson, who is operating under a minutes restriction after returning last week from ankle surgery, logged eight of his 15 minutes in the second half.
He finished with seven points and five rebounds before outlining his biggest fault.
“Just communication,” he said. “That helps a lot. If I speak, that gets me back to my rhythm quicker.”
OG Anunoby agreed the Knicks suffered from “miscommunications” while allowing Steph Curry to drop 20 points in the second half.
The Knicks are allowing teams to shoot 37.5 percent on 3-pointers, which was the NBA’s worst heading into Wednesday’s games.
OG Anuoby celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer during the Knicks’ loss to the Wizards on March 4, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“You have to have an awareness as to what’s going on in the game,” coach Tom Thibodeau said, “and we probably could have communicated better than we did.”
Casey Smith, the vice president of sports medicine for the Knicks, indirectly played a role in Luka Doncic getting traded by the Mavericks.
Smith was a longtime trainer in Dallas before getting surprisingly fired by GM Nico Harrison in 2023.
His departure — along with the firing of Mavericks strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Holsopple — was supposed to help Doncic get into better shape.
But Doncic enjoyed working with those two. And the Mavs replaced them with European staffers who were handpicked by Doncic and too friendly with the All-Star to get him to work.
They struggled to keep Doncic disciplined, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, and it progressed to the Mavericks trading their franchise player amid concerns about, among other things, his long-term health.
After a year off, Smith joined the Knicks before this season.
The Knicks also hired another former member of the Mavericks’ training staff, Heather Mau, the team’s senior athletic trainer. According to sources, Mau works closely with Jalen Brunson.
They also worked together when they were both in Dallas.
There will be a lot of former Mavericks when the Knicks and Lakers face off Thursday.
