The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the New York Knicks by a score of 121-111 on Tuesday night, holding Karl-Anthony Towns to just eight points in 2-of-12 shooting in the process. So, how did the Bucks manage to keep Towns in check?
Kyle Kuzma revealed the secret to guarding Towns after the game, and it’s something that other teams across the NBA may want to employ moving forward.
Read more: Lakers Linked to Intriguing Trade for $75 Million Microwave Scorer
“I think I’ve been in the league long enough and played against talent long enough to kind of understand what he kind of wants and what he wants to do,” Kuzma said. “So being out there and just being physical, being physical, put my body on them. A lot of times when you’re playing guys that are physical, they don’t want you to be physical. So just bringing that attitude and mentality to the game really probably frustrated him a little bit.”
Kuzma is not known for being a defensive ace, and he certainly isn’t known for guarding centers. So the fact that he was able to lock up Towns is certainly impressive.
Towns is one of the most talented offensive big men in the history of the league, but he has struggled with consistency at times, which has certainly agitated Knicks fans.
The 30-year-old is averaging 17 points and 13.5 rebounds over 33.8 minutes per game on 35.2/33.3/85.2 shooting splits this season, so Towns definitely isn’t off to the best of starts. A lifetime 52.3 percent shooter, Towns has yet to make even 50 percent of his field-goal attempts in any individual game thus far this year.
Of course, it’s still very early in the campaign, so there is plenty of time for the five-time All-Star to get things turned around. However, it should also be noted that Towns said he wasn’t entirely sure of his role with new head coach Mike Brown going into the season, so perhaps there is an issue there.
The Knicks are widely viewed as championship contenders, especially in the watered-down Eastern Conference. But they are just 2-2 thus far and will absolutely need a much better effort from Towns moving forward.
Read more: Clippers’ Chris Paul’s NBA Future Receives Major Update
Meanwhile, Kuzma may have just revealed a dirty little secret about how to guard the University of Kentucky product.
New York will face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
For more on the Knicks and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
