Towns on cusp of Knicks straight double-double record as New York stretches streak

NEW YORK, United States — Karl-Anthony Towns had no idea he was closing in on a record held by one of the greatest players in New York Knicks history.

Towns delivered 21 points and 16 rebounds for his 10th consecutive double-double to open the season as the Knicks routed the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-85, Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time) at the Madison Square Garden.

The performance moved Towns within one of Willis Reed's franchise record of 11 straight double-doubles to begin a season, set in 1970-71.

"Shout out to Willis Reed. I didn't know that," Towns said when informed of the milestone.

"I just know that this team right now is on a good winning streak. We're playing good basketball and that's the most important thing and that's all the fans really want to hear about."

The Knicks improved to 6-4, extending their winning streak to four games and winning six of seven since an 0-3 start.

They also remained unbeaten on Kith Night, improving to 6-0 in games celebrating the New York-based fashion brand's partnership with the franchise.

"6-0 on Kith Nights at the Garden," Kith founder and Knicks creative director Ronnie Fieg posted on X afterward.

Kith Night shirts for the game tonight. https://t.co/6ceQvxHK6d

New York led 26-21 after the opening quarter before OG Anunoby and Tyler Kolek sparked a 10-0 run early in the second, stretching the advantage to 36-23.

Kolek continued to attack Milwaukee's defense, while Jalen Brunson and Anunoby connected on consecutive 3-pointers late in the period.

The Knicks outscored the Bucks 32-13 in the quarter to take a commanding 58-34 halftime lead.

Milwaukee responded with 38 points in the third, trimming the deficit to 85-72 entering the fourth. An early basket in the final period brought the Bucks within 11.

But Towns answered with two 3-pointers, and Kolek added another before driving for a layup that pushed New York's lead to 96-76 with 9:29 remaining.

Anunoby later buried consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the advantage to 106-78, putting the game beyond reach.

The Knicks closed with another 32-13 quarter, allowing coach Mike Brown to rest his starters ahead of Wednesday's matchup with Cleveland.

New York's most overwhelming advantage came on the boards.

Towns grabbed 16 rebounds, while Andre Drummond collected 14 in just over 15 minutes.

Together, they pulled down 30 rebounds — only two fewer than Milwaukee's entire team.

The Knicks outrebounded the Bucks 59-32, including an 18-6 advantage on the offensive glass.

Towns said Mitchell Robinson's departure to Boston created an opening in New York's frontcourt, leaving the Knicks to replace the rebounding presence of one of the league's most effective offensive rebounders.

Towns has embraced a greater share of that responsibility alongside Drummond, who has helped fill the void left by Robinson.

"Of course, we have one of the best rebounders of this generation, Andre Drummond here, but I want to do my part," Towns said.

For Towns, rebounding is about more than padding his statistics. It gives the Knicks extra possessions while limiting opponents' second-chance opportunities.

"One of the ways I can impact winning and help our team tremendously on a nightly basis is making sure they don't give them second chance points and also we get second chance points," he said.

Towns also praised Drummond's influence beyond the box score.

"Andre is so versatile and that's what makes him special," Towns said. "We all love him tremendously in this locker room, and he has a great locker room presence as well."

Towns' latest double-double extended his streak to 14 consecutive regular-season games dating to last season.

He can match Reed's season-opening franchise record Wednesday against Cleveland.

Brown believes New York's resurgence has been driven by improved physicality, communication and defensive execution.

"Their level of communication is high, their ability to box out is high, and their ability to get back in transition is high," Brown said.

He singled out Towns and Drummond for their progress defending pick-and-rolls, an area that troubled the Knicks during their winless start.

"He's been a monster on the glass," Brown said of Towns. "And he's helped us in areas scoring the basketball on the floor whether it's outside or inside, whenever we needed it."

Despite New York's early struggles, Brown insisted he never viewed the 0-3 start as a crisis.

"The house wasn't burning down for us," he said.

In fact, the Knicks coach believes those difficult nights offered lessons that could prove valuable later in the season.

"There were certain small things that we weren't doing well, but it reminded us how hard this is going to be," Brown said.

Brunson led New York with 23 points, while Anunoby finished with 19 and Kolek added 12. Miles McBride scored eight points and posted a game-best plus-39 rating.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. paced Milwaukee with 16 points, while Ryan Rollins contributed 14.

The Bucks (1-10) suffered their seventh consecutive defeat without leading scorer Tyler Herro, who missed his first game of the season because of a bruised right knee.

New York was also short-handed, with Josh Hart missing his third straight game, this time because of an illness.

Hart had sat out the previous two games with right ankle soreness, but Brown said before tipoff that the forward would have played against Milwaukee had he not been sick, indicating his ankle had improved enough for him to return.

The Knicks face Cleveland on Wednesday night (Thursday, Manila time) in the second game of a back-to-back, with Towns one double-double away from matching a record held by the Hall of Fame center who led New York to championships in 1970 and 1973.

Yet the individual milestone remains secondary to the team's turnaround.

"We started off slow and now we're picking it up," Towns said. "At the end of the day, the offense will catch up. The defense is something you have to establish, and we're doing a great job with that."

Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com. 

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