Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns was absent from the team’s Tuesday tip with the Golden State Warriors for personal reasons.
While those reasons don’t have to be publicized, the first-year Knick spoke about missing the game with the media, including Newsday’s Steve Popper, after the team’s shootaround in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“They always question how your knees feel and all that but they never question how you’re doing,” Towns said. “So this is one of those moments where I had to be there for my family and be there for the kids that lost somebody really special to them.”
That “special” somebody was Sarah Holtzman, a family friend of Towns, who passed away this week. Towns, who lost his mother and other family and friends due to COVID, said loss never gets easier, but is appreciative for the one-game reprieve.
“I don’t really want to talk about it. But I do appreciate the organization. My teammates giving me so much grace, and support through the time when I really needed,” Towns added. “So I really appreciate that a lot to allow me to go through what I got to go through . . . The job isn’t forgiving, but it’s what we signed up for.”
Towns is having a great first season in New York, averaging 24.5 points on 53 percent shooting while grabbing 13.4 rebounds and dishing 3.1 assists across 54 games this season and was named an All-Star starter alongside teammate Jalen Brunson.
Although Towns’ status for the start of the Knicks’ five-game West Coast road trip was uncertain, the 29-year-old is available against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
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