Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns is rising to the occasion again

ATLANTA — Karl-Anthony Towns, with each step, basked in the love a bit more.It was in the third quarter of Saturday’s Game 4 first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks when Towns checked out after yet another successful stint. He took a slow walk down the bench, walking past the last player wearing his team’s colors and almost into the tunnel. It’s the same area where a raucous section of Knicks fans set up shop inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. They cheered his name. They gave him an ovation. The Knicks center turned back toward his bench, stopped, looked at the crowd behind him and nodded his head as if to say, “I appreciate you.”Advertisement