There is no Paolo Banchero. And there's no Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Karl-Anthony Towns, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, Brandon Roy, Derrick Rose or Chris Paul, either.

At this point, there is no Victor Wembanyama in this season's NBA rookie class. There is no Paolo Banchero. And there's no Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Karl-Anthony Towns, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, ...

Karl-Anthony Towns played it coy when pressed about the injury to his shooting thumb, repeating four times in the postgame locker room, “It is what it is,” with his hand tucked in his pocket.

Karl-Anthony Towns is playing through the pain. The Knicks listed their All-Star center as probable for Tuesday’s back-to-back matchup against the Nets, despite a lingering right thumb sprain.