Karl-Anthony Towns had a strong message after Knicks stumbled vs. 76ers

Karl-Anthony Towns does not think the New York Knicks look like the championship team fans celebrated just months prior.

Towns was critical of his own team Friday after they lost their NBA Cup opener to the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. The Knicks played from behind virtually the entire night and failed to mount a comeback in the 98-93 affair.

The six-time All-Star delivered a stern message as he spoke to reporters in the locker room.

“All I can think about is we’re now six games in. We haven’t shown our best,” Towns said.

“We haven’t played our best. We’ve got to find a way to be that magical team we were last year at a more consistent pace. Lightning don’t strike twice. We’ve got to be that team now.”

Brunson spoke with similar urgency last week before the Knicks won their next two games against the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. But New York couldn’t keep that momentum going against a team it could very well face in the playoffs.

Towns finished Friday’s contest with 22 points and 12 rebounds and was the lone starter with a positive plus-minus. The loss dropped the defending champions to 2-4 through the first two weeks of the season, with two of those losses coming against the retooled 76ers.