KAT rues poor free-throw shooting despite 46 points in loss to Bulls
Karl-Anthony Towns shouldered responsibility for the New York Knicks' narrow 124-123 defeat to the Chicago Bulls after going 4-of-8 from the free-throw line during a season-high 46-point performance.
"Today was a disappointing display of free-throw shooting by me," he told reporters postgame, courtesy of SNY. "Even if it was in and out, I expect to make them all.
"You look back at the game, especially when you don't come out with a win in a tough game like this, you look at everything that you could have done in the mirror - you make some of those free throws, at least two or three (of) them, and you put your team in a different position."
Towns returned to the court postgame to put up shots from the line.
KAT, jersey ripped, still on Garden floor shooting free throws
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 14, 2024
Scored 46
4-8 from line
Lost game by 1 pic.twitter.com/Qv18qR8FlD
The Knicks trailed by as many as 22 points in the third quarter Wednesday but went ahead by three early in the fourth when Josh Hart hit a difficult layup over Nikola Vucevic to make it 97-96 - their first lead since the first quarter.
Towns was instrumental in keeping New York close down the stretch. He scored 17 of his 46 points in the final frame on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-5 from distance. However, he converted just one of three attempts from the charity stripe in the quarter: a technical free throw immediately after Hart's layup. Towns then missed his only other two attempts in the frame after a shooting foul by Josh Giddey with the Knicks down one midway through the quarter.
New York held a two-point lead with 4.6 seconds left after Jalen Brunson maneuvered inside for a floater over Patrick Williams. The home crowd's elation was short-lived, though, as Coby White was fouled by Hart on a subsequent 3-point attempt and buried all three of his free throws, putting the Knicks under .500 on the season at 5-6.