NBA stars may seem untouchable on the court. But off it, they face the same heartbreaks as the rest of us. Karl-Anthony Towns, already no stranger to personal loss, was recently hit with another tragedy – a longtime family friend lost to cancer. In moments like these, two things have always kept him grounded: basketball and family

Towns wasted no time making his presence felt, delivering a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double against the Clippers. However, despite his efforts, the Knicks couldn’t break their slump, extending their losing streak to three. But the silver lining from the game is not just the KAT performance. But rather an ode to basketball being ‘therapeutic’, as I’m sure the ball world attests.

A hopeful Towns points this out during their Clippers post-match press conference. “Not the rough stuff, I don’t get back to the game. I was in a better headspace today than I was yesterday. So it definitely is, basketball has been therapeutic for me. So it’s good to be back up.”

When challenges arise in basketball, family provides support, and vice versa. Pretty neat if you ask me. In the same interview, Karl-Anthony Towns also talked about the efforts of his family and the rest of the Knicks locker room for him to get back into the thick of it. “Oh, with love and my family and… support from everybody in this locker room and the team. so it’s just obviously has been a very tough week especially for a week where a place that I’m usually comfortable at in the summer and that’s about to have- like I said before I have my teammates supporting me to understand the situation.”

It’s all in the midst of some ongoing controversy though, and that’s in the hands of Warriors forward Draymond Green. When KAT initially pulled out of the game, Green took to his podcast to claim that the reason for his absence is to avoid facing his former teammate, Jimmy Butler. Green has since apologized for the statement, admitting he spoke recklessly about a matter he knew little to nothing about.

“Oh, man. That’s unfortunate. I’m sorry to hear that. That sucks. But my comments that I made was that ‘people I heard was this. And that’s what I heard.’ So I do send my well wishes to him and his family. You know, none of us… it’s inevitable. We all experience death in one way or another, and we’ll all experience it in the same way one day. So it’s unfortunate,” Green said.

Knicks look to step up in Brunson’s absence

The Knicks do seem primed to qualify for the playoffs for a third straight season. However, an injury to Jalen Brunson in OT during their loss to the Lakers caused alarm bells to ring in the locker room. They’ve pretty much been a one-man show all season. If not for JB, they wouldn’t be 3rd in the East.

Seems like the Brunson Burner has flamed out for the next 2 weeks minimum due to an ankle injury that saw him exit the court in OT. He’s played 61 games for the Big Apple’s finest. He’s averaged 26.3 PPG and 7.4 APG while shooting nearly every other shot from the field. Without him, their playoff hopes will be heavily dented. But guard Josh Hart is confident and hopeful of his team being good enough to shine without their talisman

“I think defensively was a solid game. I think in terms of points given up, I think we could make it work a little bit more, but I think right now we just got to continue to build, continue to find a flow without JB. And it’s an opportunity when you have a guy that’s down, it’s a room for the other guys to step up. And then when that guy gets back, and once they step up, they’re in a great flow,” said Hart in the post-game press conference.

The Knicks enter a pivotal stretch in their season. While Jalen Brunson’s absence presents an immediate challenge, it’s also an opportunity for other players to rise to the occasion.

If Towns can maintain his momentum and Hart can take on a larger role, the Knicks may just keep their playoff hopes intact. However, the road ahead won’t be easy. Every game from here on out carries postseason implications