Towns Had Nine Assists — the Knicks' 122-120 Win Exposed Both Their Ceiling and Their Flaws
GOATIFYKarl-Anthony Towns finished New York's preseason finale with 13 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. The 122-120 win over Toronto was only an exhibition, but that near triple-double revealed something more important than a final score: the reigning champions can still make their offense run through a big man without taking the ball away from Jalen Brunson.
After a preseason full of awkward stretches, the Knicks finally found familiar connections between their main creators. Towns generated quick offense from the elbows and high post, Brunson took over when possessions became less tidy, and the supporting cast provided just enough shooting and activity to escape. The Raptors supplied an equally useful warning. Scottie Barnes and their other scorers kept finding ways back, so New York's first win did not automatically erase its defensive questions.
Towns' nine assists were the headline, not his 13 points
The first several minutes offered a compact demonstration of what Towns can do when New York asks him to be more than a floor-spacing center. He had six assists almost immediately, including connections with Brunson and other teammates cutting into space. By the time he left his opening stint, the Knicks had already shown the kind of give-and-go rhythm that made them dangerous during their championship run.
Towns did not need to dominate the shot count to influence the defense. He took only eight field-goal attempts across roughly 29 minutes, made four, and hit two of his five three-point tries. Those are modest scoring numbers for a former All-Star, but the combination of 15 rebounds and nine assists gave New York a different route to efficient offense. When he catches the ball above the foul line, a defender has to respect his jumper while also protecting a cutter behind the play. If the defense sends help, the next pass can create a cleaner look than a difficult isolation attempt.
That is particularly valuable alongside Brunson, who can score from a standstill but should not have to manufacture every quality possession. A center who can read a rotating defense makes it harder for opponents to load up on the guard. It also means the Knicks can change the point of attack without substituting an entirely different lineup. Against Toronto, those early possessions looked rehearsed rather than improvised.
The caution is that a preseason burst is not the same thing as a reliable half-court system. Barnes and the Raptors later disrupted New York's passing lanes, and Towns committed three turnovers. His final line still points toward an important identity: this offense is most flexible when he is treated as a decision-maker, not simply the tallest shooter standing beyond the arc.
For Brown, that is a meaningful tactical choice. Starting possessions through Towns can preserve Brunson's energy for late-clock creation and encourage teammates to move before a shot is even threatened. The Knicks do not need to reinvent their offense; they need to make their best actions less predictable.
Brunson steadied the game, but New York's supporting cast still has work to do
Toronto briefly flipped the game after halftime, and New York needed its lead guard to restore order. Brunson scored seven points during a third-quarter push that helped spark a 19-5 Knicks run. He finished with 20 points and seven assists, giving the offense a conventional closer when Towns' distribution alone was no longer enough. That is the useful contrast in this roster: New York can play through its center early, then lean on a proven ball-handler when defensive pressure changes the geometry.
Mikal Bridges supplied a second encouraging signal. He scored 14 points on six makes in nine attempts and produced two blocks, including a notable defensive play near the end of the first half. Bridges does not need to lead the Knicks in usage to matter. His best possessions are often the ones that punish a defense for committing too many resources to Towns or Brunson. Efficient cutting, quick decisions and a credible spot-up threat are more valuable to this group than forcing him into difficult self-created looks.
Not everyone was sharp. OG Anunoby scored six points on 2-of-10 shooting and missed all five of his three-point attempts. That kind of line is not a forecast of his regular-season value, especially given his defensive responsibilities, but it illustrates how quickly the offense can tighten if two or three complementary players are cold together. Mohamed Diawara also struggled to finish efficiently while dealing with foul trouble.
There were brighter moments deeper in the rotation. Miles McBride knocked down three threes in a short early burst, while Andre Drummond gave the second unit rebounding and interior finishing. Those contributions matter because New York's stars will not be able to play championship-level minutes every night. The preseason finale showed several possible solutions, but it did not prove which supporting combinations Mike Brown can trust against elite regular-season opponents.
Scottie Barnes exposed the defensive warning hidden inside the win
The Raptors did not treat the final exhibition as a formality. Barnes scored 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, made four of five three-point attempts and blocked four shots. That combination of scoring range and defensive disruption gave New York a difficult problem on both ends. Toronto's versatile forward could attack mismatches, challenge the ball and help crowd Towns' passing windows without turning the game into a slow half-court grind.
New York's 122 points and 35 assists look excellent in isolation, but Toronto scored 120 and finished with 27 assists of its own. The Knicks allowed several stretches of comfortable offense, particularly when their rotations became late or their own turnovers gave the visitors easier opportunities. An entertaining exhibition can hide those problems because the scoreboard keeps moving. Against a disciplined playoff opponent, the same lapses can decide a close game even if the offense is creating open shots.
Barnes' performance also underlined the importance of Anunoby and Bridges as defensive connectors. The Knicks have plenty of size and length on paper, but having good individual defenders is different from consistently defending the next pass. Toronto's ability to move between perimeter creation and attacks toward the basket forced New York to communicate through multiple actions. The Raptors did not need one unstoppable scorer to keep the pressure on.
The biggest takeaway is not that the Knicks suddenly have a broken defense. Preseason lineups are experimental, and the teams are still calibrating their rotations. It is that a championship defense cannot depend on the offense always producing 120 points. Towns' playmaking gives New York a higher offensive ceiling, but the team will only maximize that advantage if it reduces the number of possessions in which opponents score before the defense is organized.
A two-point finish leaves real questions before the Sixers arrive
New York did not simply cruise to the finish. Former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley kept Toronto in the contest, scoring 21 and 18 points respectively. The visitors repeatedly erased comfortable-looking gaps, and the score was tied at 117 late. Towns had already completed his 13-point, 15-rebound, nine-assist night when the reserves were asked to close the game.
Tyler Kolek and Tyler Nickel provided the late points that pushed the Knicks across the line. Their contribution was a reminder that the final roster spots are not ceremonial. Coaches need players who can make an appropriate read without requiring a set designed specifically for them. James Wiseman also appeared briefly as New York weighed its remaining center depth. With Drew Eubanks dealing with a torn pectoral muscle, the balance between extra size and perimeter versatility remains an active consideration.
Brown's decision to bring key starters back in the fourth quarter suggested he wanted a cleaner ending to the preseason than another loss. The victory may help confidence, but the rotation decisions matter more. Drummond's rebounding, McBride's shooting and the uneven minutes from younger wings all provide clues about how the coach might divide responsibility once results count in the standings. New York cannot assume every reserve will reproduce an isolated strong stretch.
Next comes the much larger occasion: Philadelphia visits for the regular-season opener on October 20, when the Knicks will celebrate their championship. The Sixers have LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey among their headline names, creating an immediate test of New York's defensive coordination and half-court versatility. Towns and Brunson already know how to win together. The question is whether the full roster can sustain that standard for four quarters rather than a handful of impressive preseason runs.
There is a reason coaches value the final exhibition despite its limited predictive power: it shows which decisions remain instinctive under pressure. The Knicks found some answers with Towns at the center of the action, but the closing minutes exposed the thin line between a useful rehearsal and a false sense of security.
Towns' near triple-double was the most persuasive evidence New York produced in its preseason finale. His passing unlocked Brunson, his rebounding supplied extra possessions, and his shooting kept defenders honest. Yet a 122-120 finish against Toronto also showed why the defending champions cannot mistake offensive rhythm for a complete performance. The real test begins with Philadelphia: if the Knicks pair this version of Towns with steadier team defense and reliable bench decisions, they will enter the new season looking like a contender rather than merely a team celebrating last year's title.
