Brunson, who has taken 27 shots in each outing so far, leads the 2024-25 playoffs in scoring ( 35.5 PPG) and field goal attempts through two games. That’s impressive for a guy who made just four appearances for New York over the final month of the regular season because of an ankle sprain he sustained on March 6 against the Lakers.

Since Brunson’s return from an ankle sprain late in the season, Towns’ usage rate is 23.3% — down from 27.2% before the return. Before the All-Star break, Brunson assisted on Towns’ baskets 1.8 times per game; since mid-February, including these first two playoff games, that’s down to 1.1 per contest.

The New York Knicks want to ensure that there's no KAT nap like there was in the finally period of their latest postseason heartbreaker. Karl-Anthony Towns was