Despite their mediocre record, Karl-Anthony Towns has been huge in his first stint with the Knicks. He's averaging 24.9 points on 53.5% shooting, including a career-high 53.7% from three-point land, and a team-high 12.

The Knicks' defense has been their Achilles heel early this season. They rank 21st on that end of the floor, allowing 111.2 points per game on 48.0 percent shooting, the NBA's fifth-highest mark. A shockingly bad Towns stat is at the center of their struggles.

Tom Thibodeau’s revamped squad had dropped four of its first seven after consecutive road losses earlier in the week against the Rockets and the Hawks.