Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns gives Yankees superstar Juan Soto his flowers

MSG will be electric on Friday night when the New York Knicks host the Pacers in their home opener, but many fans at home will also be watching another sporting event. The Yankees are in Los Angeles to play Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers, which will start about 30 minutes after the Knicks and Pacers tip-off.

Several Knicks players are Yankees fans, including Josh Hart. His great-uncle was catcher Elston Howard, the first African-American to play for the Yankees. Hart threw out a first pitch at Yankee Stadium during the NBA offseason and is an avid tweeter during Yankees games. He'll be a little too occupied on Friday to tweet.

The Knicks coincidentally traded for another Yankees fan before the season started. Karl-Anthony Towns grew up in New Jersey and roots for the Yankees. He was traded to New York at the perfect time.

Towns' late mother was from the Dominican Republic. The center played for the Dominican Republic National Team when he was only 16. He represented the country at the 2023 World Cup in the Philippines. In September, Towns announced that he will help build a state-of-the-art basketball facility in Santiago.

KAT talked about how excited he is to be in New York, closer to his Dominican side of the family. It's a bonus that he gets to watch fellow Dominican Juan Soto star for the Yankees.

KAT talks about Dominican star Juan Soto ahead of World Series

Towns said Soto is "one of the greatest Dominican talents for baseball we've ever seen." Yankees fans hope he'll be more than a one-year rental, especially after his Game 5 performance in the American League Championship Series.

The game went to extra innings, and Soto was up to bat in the 10th. He fouled off several pitches from Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis before he sent a high fastball over the center field wall for a three-run home run.

Soto propelled the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009, and you know Towns was tuned in.

The Yankees will host Games 3, 4, and 5 of the World Series. Game 3 will be on Monday, Oct. 28, the same night the Knicks will host the Cavaliers. Game 4 will be on Tuesday, Oct. 29, a travel day for the Knicks as they prepare to play the Heat in Miami on Wednesday, Oct. 30 (the same day as Game 5 in the Bronx).

Unfortunately, Towns and the Knicks won't be able to catch a World Series game, but you can bet he and Hart will find ways to stay updated. Hopefully, they won't be disappointed when all is said and done.