The Knicks were sluggish, the offense inexplicably disappeared for most of the fourth quarter and they were one Brooklyn shot away from their worst loss of the season.

Karl-Anthony Towns opted to look on the bright side as the New York Knicks eked out a narrow win over a lasting rival.

Towns has missed the Knicks' last two games after injuring his Thumb during a Jan. 13 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The star center played through discomfort, posting 26 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-17 shooting from the field, 4-of-9 from three and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He declined to say whether he underwent X-rays following the loss.