Anyone who ever wasted time calling Karl-Anthony Towns a clown or doubting his game must be feeling foolish during these Eastern Conference Finals.
Towns is playing through a knee injury — the same left knee in which he tore a meniscus last year and rushed back to help the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference Finals, jeopardizing years of his career in doing so — and still providing the New York Knicks their most reliable offense against the Indiana Pacers.
While Jalen Brunson scores in spurts, Towns has been consistent this series. New York will need more from him tonight to stay alive, and my Karl-Anthony Towns player props and NBA picks tell you how he'll fare in Game 5 tonight.
Karl-Anthony Towns player prop picks
- Best bet
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 3-pointers
(-130) - SGP pick
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 3-pointers
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 11.5 rebounds
Karl-Anthony Towns Under 21.5 points
(+1100)
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
Karl-Anthony Towns best bet
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 3-pointers (-130 at bet365)
Karl-Anthony Towns’ left knee may be a worry for the rest of his career. When he opted for surgery last year to be sure he could be back for the postseason, he put the later years of his career at risk.
That selfless choice was not praised enough, as too many people would rather troll for clout than appreciate outstanding basketball.
When he knocked that knee in Game 4, Towns clearly came up in pain. But given his head coach is again Tom Thibodeau, Towns could not come off the court.
No matter the pain, he will play tonight. But his mobility may be impacted.
Fortunately, Towns has never needed much from his legs to be the best shooting big man in history. He may as well be doing a calf raise when he takes a 3-pointer, barely able to fit a piece of paper between his shoes and the floor on his set jumpshot.
Towns has shot 10-for-22 from deep in this series, 45.5%. He has cleared this prop in three of four games, going just 1-for-2 in Game 4.
Thibodeau has undoubtedly encouraged Towns to shoot more since that loss, particularly given how much more difficult drives may be with his knee banged up again.
Karl-Anthony Towns same-game parlay
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 3-pointers
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 11.5 rebounds
Karl-Anthony Towns Under 21.5 points
If Towns is any less than 100%, he is actually more likely to track down rebounds. He will simply be less active on defense, stationed closer to the hoop. At that point, his height, reach and rebounding instincts will lead to rebounds by default.
And if Towns is 100%, well then, he has cleared this prop in three of four games, anyway.
Adding an Under on Towns’s points prop is done in part because of value. It runs so counter to the Over on his 3-pointers, the sportsbook escalates the same-game parlay too far. A pair of 3-pointers will not singularly propel Towns toward 22 points. There is a large window there for both to cash.
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