Karl-Anthony Towns misses the Knicks-Pistons duel

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson were both listed as questionable for the Knicks’ 120-111 loss to the Pistons on Saturday night, but only one of the team’s top two scorers remained in the lineup.

Towns, who missed a game earlier this season with a right knee injury, was added late to the league’s official injury report earlier in the day and was unavailable because of what the Knicks call patellar tendinopathy of his left knee.

Brunson, who scored a game-high 31 points in Saturday’s loss, remained in the lineup despite suffering a bruised lower back and spent the final 14-plus minutes of the win over the Hornets at the Garden following a third-quarter collision .

Towns, the four-time All-Star center acquired from the Timberwolves in September, is averaging a team-best 25.2 points, slightly higher than Brunson’s average of 25.1.

Towns’ 13.2 rebounds per game also ranked second in the league heading into Saturday’s game, behind only Denver’s three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (13.4).

Towns sat out the team’s win against the Nets on November 15, marking the only game missed by any of the Knicks’ starting lineup this season.

Jericho Sims started this game at center but played only 18 minutes, with rookie Ariel Hukporti contributing seven points and four blocked shots in 30 minutes off the bench, a career-best.

Sims started again Saturday night, but versatile big man Precious Achiuwa gave the Knicks another option off the bench after making his season debut Thursday against the Hornets after missing the first 21 games with a hamstring injury.