Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns has bone chip in thumb, sources say

PHILADELPHIA --New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns has a bone chip in his right thumb to go along with the sprain he sustained in Monday's loss to the Detroit Pistons, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday, though those same sources also said Towns was expected to play through the injury.

Towns hurt his thumb in the first half of Monday's game, when he smacked his shooting hand on the backboard on a drive. He played the rest of the game -- finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds in 43 minutes -- though he grabbed at his hand several times as the game progressed.

Afterward, Towns said the thumb injury "is what it is," and after initially being listed as questionable to play Wednesday against the reeling Philadelphia 76ers, he was eventually ruled out before the game, with the swelling in his thumb needing to subside before he can return.

"We'll see where he is [Thursday]," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns' status during his pregame news conference.

Towns, who was acquired by the Knicks in a blockbuster trade on the eve of training camp in September, has had a brilliant season for his hometown team, averaging 25.4 points and a league-leading 13.9 rebounds while shooting 55% from the field and 44.9% from 3-point range.

He has ranked third among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in each of the first two rounds of All-Star voting, putting him on track to start in the game -- which would be a first for him after making four All-Star teams as a reserve during nine seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves to begin his career.

New York entered Wednesday's game with a 26-15 record, putting the Knicks on pace for a 52-win season -- which would rank among the 10 best records in the history of the franchise. They went on to beat the 76ers 125-119 in overtime.

Towns' bone chip was first reported by the New York Post.br/]