New York Knicks Star Karl-Anthony Towns Enjoys Return to ‘Home’

One of the newest New York Knicks felt at home in more ways than one on Wednesday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns took to the Madison Square Garden hardwood for the first time as an ally when the Knicks hosted the Washington Wizards for a preseason visit. Though far from perfect (as he was 1-of-7 from three-point range and charged with five fouls), Towns provided a tantalizing appetizer with a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double in a 117-94 victory .

Wednesday was likely far from the first time Towns donned a Knicks jersey on the Garden grounds, as the Edison, NJ native grew up a fan of the team before embarking on his subsequent career. Despite the lack of effort in Wednesday’s game, a beaming Towns enjoyed every one of his shots, most of which came in a dominant third period in which he scored half of the Knicks’ 32 points.

In the immediate aftermath, Towns told MSG Network’s Alan Hahn that he was “happy to be home.”

“The fans have been great. It’s definitely different being home,” Towns said. “It’s been a blessing to be here. I’m excited about all the games I get to play in front of these fans.”

Towns and his fellow starters got extended second half minutes after taking in the final 24 of the preseason debut from the bench at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday. Further aided by 23 points from Jalen Brunson and another 16 from Towns’ fellow newcomer Mikal Bridges, the Knicks (2-0) built a lasting double-digit lead over the woeful Wizards, who were forced into 30 turnovers. That would be the most in a single regular season game since January 1989.

Towns believes he has built a strong bond with Brunson, the captain and franchise face of the Knicks, in a limited amount of time. Brunson’s three assists on Wednesday all ended in points for Towns and all came during the aforementioned third period.

“We work hard every day to make sure it looks the best it can for these fans,” Towns told Hahn. “We just want to translate it into winning and we’re doing a great job of that.”

Towns and the Knicks will put their perfect regular-season record on the line against his former employers on Sunday when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit MSG (6 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).

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