Towns, who had 17 points and 22 rebounds in the loss, received roughly 1.1 million votes in the first returns of the fan All-Star ballot, the third-highest in the East behind just Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum. Last year with the Timberwolves, Towns only accumulated just 139,642 votes in the first round of fan voting.

OKLAHOMA CITY — When the first round of fan voting for the NBA All-Star rosters was announced Thursday,Karl-Anthony Towns was third in the frontcourt and Jalen Brunson was fourth among guards. The two Knicks likely will make the roster once the player and coach votes are counted.

Moving back to the center position and dominating with his skill set as a 7-foot offensive force isn't the only advantage Karl-Anthony Towns has playing in New York. The other major advantage is the spotlight put on major market teams.