The Knicks face the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday night. Here are the best player props to consider for Karl-Anthony Towns on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Karl-Anthony Towns Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
The Knicks are 4-point favorites against the Trail Blazers, with a total of 229 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are the latest prop bet lines for Karl-Anthony Towns: o/u 25.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 three-pointers.
The Knicks’ season took a major setback when Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle injury against the Lakers last week. They ended up losing that game in overtime, and they are 1-1 in the two games since then. Not only did Jalen Brunson lead the team in points and assists, but he is the guy that brings the ball up the floor and initiates the offense for New York. Karl-Anthony Towns has been having a fantastic season. Towns and Brunson developed chemistry and had figured out their two-man game before Brunson suffered his injury. Now, Towns is being forced to alter his game as the Knicks are now dependent on him to lead their offense with Brunson on the sideline. Not only does that shift how Towns needs to play on a nightly basis, but it changes the set-up of the entire New York offense.
In their first game without Jalen Brunson, the Knicks only scored 95 points in a losing effort against the Clippers. Towns shot a poor 8/21 from the floor, and the Knicks struggled to get open looks anywhere. However, they bounced back well in their next game against the Kings. Towns led the team with 26 points, but it was a balanced effort. All five of the Knicks starters scored between 15 and 26 points, with the team scoring 133 points. However, despite being the team’s leading scorer, the Knicks looked much better with Towns on the bench. Towns finished the game with a +8, but the team grew their big lead with Mitchell Robinson on the floor. Mitchell Robinson finished the game with a +26, Deuce McBride had a +32 and Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart both had a +29.
That lineup of Robinson, McBride, Bridges, Hart, and OG Anunoby, had the dominant run against the Kings. Defensively, this is an outstanding lineup, and it actually led to easier looks on the other end. As Mitchell Robinson ramps up his minutes since returning from injury, Towns could see a reduced workload. Without Brunson, the Knicks have the chance to put forward an excellent defensive lineup that does not involve Karl-Anthony Towns. Then when Towns is on the floor, the Knicks can take advantage of his offensive talent to get them some easy buckets and just focus on that.
That should lead to a decline in Towns’ production defensively and in the rebounding department. For that reason, I am backing Towns to have under 12.5 rebounds against the Trail Blazers. Towns has combined for just 19 rebounds in the two games without Brunson so far, and has seen a major decline in his minutes. That trend should continue as this Mitchell Robinson-led lineup continues to thrive, keeping Towns under his rebounding prop.
