The Knicks aim to address foul troubles against the 76ers after their big men struggled in Game 1. Coach Mike Brown emphasizes the need for better defensive discipline to avoid putting referees in tough positions.
Key points
Knicks coach Mike Brown emphasizes avoiding fouls
Karl-Anthony Towns faced foul trouble in Game 2
Mitchell Robinson is out with an illness
Ariel Hukporti received three fouls in four minutes
Mentioned in this story
Mike BrownKarl-Anthony TownsJalen BrunsonMitchell RobinsonAriel Hukporti
Knicks76ers
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Knicks head coach Mike Brown stressed this point after scoring a decisive victory in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals: New York canât allow the Philadelphia 76ers to continue to draw so many fouls, especially after the Knicks' big men got into foul trouble early in Game 1.
âWe can't put ourselves in the position to put the whistle on the refereesâ hands of making a call or no call,â Brown said in the build-up to Wednesday nightâs game. âSo we gotta do a better job of leading with our chest and showing our hands."
Karl-Anthony Towns, who had already picked up his second foul with 4:29 left in the first quarter of Game 2, returned for the start of the second, for a stretch when the Knicks need him to run the show with Jalen Brunson sitting as he normally does after playing the entire first.
To stress the point even further, the Knicks, shorthanded with reserve big man Mitchell Robinson out with an illness, already saw Ariel Hukporti get dinged for three fouls in less than four minutes of action in the opening period.
Unfortunately, after knocking down a bucket to give him nine points in the game, Towns got caught on a switch and foolishly stuck out his right leg and bumped Tyrese Maxey 46 seconds into the quarter, sending him right back to the bench. He would remain there for the rest of the half.
Towns said he doesnât want to lose his âphysicality,â but admitted the need to get âmore disciplinedâ in his play.
What did Coach Mike Brown say about the Knicks' foul troubles?
Coach Mike Brown stressed the importance of not allowing the 76ers to draw fouls and emphasized the need for better defensive discipline.
How did Karl-Anthony Towns perform in Game 2 against the 76ers?
Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his second foul early in the first quarter but returned for the second quarter when the Knicks needed him to lead the team.
Who is out for the Knicks due to illness?
Reserve big man Mitchell Robinson is out with an illness, impacting the Knicks' depth in the game against the 76ers.
What challenges did the Knicks face with their big men in Game 1?
The Knicks' big men faced significant foul trouble early in Game 1, which Coach Brown highlighted as a critical issue to address.
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For Brown, it comes down to doing a âbetter jobâ from everyone, including Towns.
âWe have to keep trying to lead with our chest and show our hands and hope they donât call it,â he said. âBut theyâre really, really good, especially Maxey. Man, heâs one of the quickest guys in the league with the basketball, and when he sees an angle, heâs going at ya a hundred miles an hour.â
Brown said that it is tough to guard that quickness because when the defender turns to run stride for stride, Maxey will âfly into yaâ and give the referees an âopportunity to call a foul.â
âJust keep our chest in front of the ball and hope that we donât turn or anything like that when he jumps in the air, and they donât call a foul,â he said.
In the second half, the whistles became much less frequent, and Brown credited his side for doing better after talking at the half of defending without fouling after allowing the Sixers to shoot 20 free throws in the opening 24 minutes.
âWe have to do something right. I have to do a better job addressing it; hopefully, it can get evened out a little bit more throughout the course of the series,â he said. âBut itâs tough to win a ballgame if youâre getting beat from the free throw line like that versus a really good team.
âWe gotta look at every aspect from it, how weâre helping on their drives, everything. Itâs a big, big discrepancy.â
New York conceded just eight free throw attempts after the break, and that made âa big difference in the ballgame,â the head coach said.
Towns, to his credit, had a great third, scoring 10 quick points and drawing three fouls of his own before being whistled for a fourth foul on a play that didn't have much contact to be fair with 7:29 into the quarter, and despite some loud lobbying, was subbed out.
"I'm competitive, and I wanted to be out there helping our team win," Towns said of his failed protest. "Disappointed that I got the foul call, but I felt like I just wanted to be in the game to help us win. You trust your coaching staff, and they told me I'd be back in for the fourth quarter and to be ready."
"He's an important player for us. It's no secret that we need him on the floor. He just has to avoid getting the unnecessary fouls,â Brown said, noting that the big man has been great at âknock on woodâ avoiding bad offensive fouls.
âAnything where heâs trying to steal a basketball or whack down on the ball, where heâs initiating the contact with his hands, heâs gotta try and stay away from that,â he continued. âThroughout the course of the game, the officials are gonna call what they call, and we have no control over that.â
Towns finished with 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting with 10 rebounds (two offensive), seven assists, and was a plus-6 in 27 minutes in the six-point win.
