Will Knicks Play Key Big More in Game 3?

One of the biggest takeaways from the New York Knicks' Game 2 loss was the minute distribution between Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

For the first time this season, Robinson played 29 minutes while Towns played 28 despite being named to the All-NBA Third Team just hours before tipoff.

The Athletic insider Mike Vornukov looked into the decision to play Robinson more than Towns in Game 2.

"Robinson was fantastic again in this game. His stat line might not have been amazing — 6 points and nine rebounds — but he was a force and created a lot of extra possessions for the Knicks. He also played 29 minutes, which was his second-highest total this season, and Thibodeau left him on the floor deep into the fourth quarter in place of Towns," Vornukov wrote.

"This will be worth monitoring in this series. Will Thibodeau make a starting lineup change? Will Robinson earn a larger minute split? Can Towns play better, especially defensively? The Knicks will need to make some tweaks to pull off a comeback in this series, so something will have to give."

At this point in the season with their Finals chances slipping through their grasp, the Knicks need to play whichever players will get them the win. It doesn't matter if Towns was an All-NBA player this season: if Robinson is the better choice, he should play more.

Towns may give the Knicks a better chance on paper, but if the execution isn't there, it doesn't matter.

That being said, Towns needs to be the one to play better because he gives the Knicks a much better chance to win, especially on offense. With the Pacers offense clicking on all cylinders, the Knicks need to match that output, and Towns gives them the best chance to do that.

If the defense can be just a smidge better, that could be enough to get the Knicks back in the series. Either way, Towns needs to be better on both ends of the floor.