Knicks blow out Timberwolves as Karl-Anthony Towns dominates in his homecoming
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts toward a referee during the second half of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
MINNEAPOLIS — An hour before tipoff, as he finished his pregame warmup session, Karl-Anthony Towns was surrounded by fans, with groups of kids posing for photos with him as his 7-foot frame extended above the crush of children.
On the other end, Julius Randle was on the court by himself, going through his pregame routine. It included none of the hype and hoopla but already hinted at what his mood was for the first meeting between the Knicks and Timberwolves since the trade just ahead of training camp that shook up both franchises.
After the game began, the applause had not even died down from the video tribute for Towns and Randle already was on fire. He furiously compiled 15 points and three assists in the first quarter, and while there were no statistics for trash talk or glares directed at the Knicks’ bench, he was leading in those categories, too.
And then as quickly as it began, it was over for Randle and his new team. With the Timberwolves unable to slow the Knicks, two women tried to run across the court with similar luck, tackled quickly by security — and it was understandable if they were protesting the trade.
The Knicks trampled the Timberwolves, 133-107, and when the game was over, Randle went straight to the locker room, not stopping for hugs or handshakes.
For a night, the joyful return of Towns trumped the anger from Randle. Towns had been emotional throughout the day, taking in the walk into the Target Center for the morning shootaround, recalling the people and places he’d spent nine seasons navigating. The pregame introductions included a nearly two-minute video tribute and ovation from the fans, and at the first timeout, the Timberwolves played another video tribute, this one honoring all of the community work he’d done here — work that continued on this night.
But it was the work he did on the court that really stood out as the Knicks put on a master class after the early assault by Randle. They outscored Minnesota 41-18 in the second quarter, went ahead by 36 points late in the third and coasted to a shockingly easy win.
Towns posted his first 30-20 game with the Knicks, finishing with 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists before exiting with 9:11 left. He shot 10-for-12 and was 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Randle finished with 24 points but went silent once Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau shifted OG Anunoby onto him.
The game turned out to be everything that Towns and the Knicks (17-10) could have imagined as they won for the 12th time in 16 games.
“I’m just happy we got a win, you know, put one in the left column,” Towns said. “It’s just, you know, shout-out to my teammates, empowering me and for putting me in spots to succeed, and I think everyone saw it. They understood the game was a big game for me personally. It was a personal game, and for them to be supporting me the way they did meant a lot.”
It wasn’t just the win on this night but the style points. The Knicks played with near-flawless execution, repeatedly making the extra pass and finding the open — really open — man.
“Every aspect, offensively, defensively, they outcompeted us,” Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert said. “They played more as a team than we did, they defended more as a team than we did. They just beat us on every aspect of the game.”
It wasn’t just Towns. Mikal Bridges had 29 points and six assists. Jalen Brunson added 14 points and seven assists. Precious Achiuwa, who got the start with Josh Hart out for personal reasons, had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Anunoby provided a blanket of defense after those opening minutes.
With Randle and Anthony Edwards on the bench to start the second quarter, the Knicks ran off a 17-2 start, building a 14-point lead before Minnesota coach Chris Finch could get the two stars back on the floor. But the carnage didn’t stop. The Knicks stretched the run to 26-2 and took a 23-point lead, with the home crowd booing the Timberwolves with every missed shot.
The lead grew to 104-68 late in the third quarter. For all of the conjecture about the identity of the Knicks after the trade, they proved to be cold-blooded killers on this night — with smiles on their faces.
Afterward, Edwards stood up to put on his coat and said out loud, “He showed you who he is. He’s Karl-Anthony Towns.”
“The game wasn’t just another game,” Towns said. “If anyone tells you otherwise, that’s a lie.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
