The New York Knicks scored an important win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, and Karl-Anthony Towns was a huge part of it. Towns posted 31 points and eight rebounds on the way to a 118-116 victory.

The Knicks’ end-of-season struggles coincided with teams sticking wings onto Towns. And the Pistons were watching.

Towns knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run. And he’s both talented and capable enough of a scorer and play-maker to turn a game with his individual gifts.