CLEVELAND — Point center Karl-Anthony Towns returned Saturday night in Cleveland.
Unlike in the series opener, the Cavaliers had no answer for the Knicks’ play-making big man.
This was the Towns who shredded the 76ers and Hawks, creating opportunities for his teammates with pinpoint passing.
Cleveland had an answer for the Knicks running offense through Towns for most of Game 1, forcing coach Mike Brown’s team to adjust.
They went back to Towns the distributor in Game 3, and it worked.
The multi-talented center had 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, keying the Knicks’ 121-108 victory in Game 3.
The win moved them to within one of the franchise’s first berth in the NBA Finals since 1999.
“KAT, he was our hub offensively: seven assists, zero turnovers,” Brown said. “He was really good for us offensively and defensively with three steals.”
Towns has been a big part of this franchise-best 10-game playoff win streak.
With the Knicks trailing the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs 2-1, Brown tweaked the offense to go through Towns and take advantage of his passing ability.
The Cavaliers solved it in Game 1, and the Knicks responded by leaning on Jalen Brunson.
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But they have been able to adjust on the fly, and with the Cavaliers paying extra attention to Brunson, they went back to Towns as a facilitator.
“We do a great job of adjusting as the game goes along. I have to always be able to adapt to what the game needs from me to win the game,” said Towns, a team-high, plus-23 in 36 minutes.
“In the first half, it needed me to be a scorer, very aggressive, get to the basket, shoot the ball well and get points. Second half, they adjusted and we adjusted and I had to adjust. The adjustment was more being the hub, making the right passes, getting my teammates involved. … I continue to just feel out the game. The game will tell me what to do.”
