Karl-Anthony Towns was dealing with something off of the court as he missed the Knicks’ 114-102 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday.
The 7-foot big man, who isn’t dealing with a significant injury, missed his sixth game for the Knicks this season due to personal reasons, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Towns’ girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, shared a message about cancer later that night.
“F–k cancer,” Woods wrote on X.
The 27-year-old model did not elaborate further and it’s unclear if her message was related to Towns’ absence.
Woods, who lost her father to cancer in 2017, received an outpouring of support from Knicks faithful, including actor Ben Stiller, who is a diehard New York fan.
“Agree,” Stiller wrote, adding a bunch of orange and blue heart emojis.
The Knicks have gone 3-3 in the games Towns has missed in his first campaign with New York.
Towns is averaging 24.5 points and 13.4 rebounds this season.
Thibodeau declined to answer if Towns would be available when the Knicks start their five-game West Coast trip Thursday against the Lakers.
“I can’t answer that,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks’ loss at the Garden. “I can’t, because I just don’t know, so when he’s ready to come back, obviously we want him back. But he needs some time right now.”
The Knicks will likely lean on Mitchell Robinson, who was on a minutes restriction against the Warriors as he is eased back from an ankle injury suffered in May.
Robinson finished with seven points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.
Towns finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds in the Knicks’ 116-112 overtime win against the Heat on Sunday.
The Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 40-20 mark.
