Yes, New York Knicks fans, the Karl-Anthony Towns-homecoming mode was indeed activated.
Dec. 19, 2024: Final
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Just in case New York City hoops fans were concerned about the uncontrollable drool pouring down their chins all night, take solace in the idea that it was a common symptom caused by “KATilitis,” which creeps up when a certain hooper takes his killer instinct onto the court. That’s exactly what happened in the Knicks’ most recent triumph.
On Thursday night, the man the kids call “KAT of the Association” made his former team feel a world of hurt.
Towns, 29, finished with a team-high 32 points and 20 rebounds while leading his now-17-10 Knickerbockers to a dominant 133-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. In his return to the team that selected him No. 1 overall in the 2015 NBA draft, Towns shot a ridiculous 10-12 from the floor, including a perfect 5 of 5 from the land of three.
Once training Minnesota 33-32 after the first quarter, Tom Thibodeau‘s team exploded for 41 points in the second frame. New York’s 73-51 halftime lead allowed it to coast throughout the entirety of the second half.
Mikal Bridges snagged the role of supporting offensive stud on this Knicks party night. The former Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets swingman collected 29 points on 12 of 18 from the floor, including 4-8 from beyond the arc (plus 6 assists and 6 rebounds).
Bridges and sixth man Deuce McBride (16 points and 4 threes) provided a kickstart of energy in the second quarter, which ultimately broke the game wide open.
Of course, this Knicks-T-Wolves matchup was not all about Towns’s return to the Twin Cities. Remember, it took two former Knicks for Leon Rose to execute this monstrous offseason deal.
Julius Randle—who spent five seasons in New York and made the NBA All-Star team three times and the All-NBA squad twice—was locked in early when facing his former team. Although Randle poured in a team-high 24 points for Minny, 15 came in the first quarter.
In the end, Randle’s 8 of 17 from the floor, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists weren’t even close to enough. Neither was Donte DiVincenzo‘s 15 points (3-6 from 3-point land) in 25 minutes off the bench.
| Team Stats |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 50-97 | 41-89 |
| Field Goal % | 51.5 | 46.1 |
| 3PT | 20-45 | 17-42 |
| Three Point % | 44.4 | 40.5 |
| FT | 13-16 | 8-13 |
| Free Throw % | 81.3 | 61.5 |
| Rebounds | 57 | 37 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 16 | 6 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 41 | 31 |
| Assists | 39 | 29 |
| Steals | 10 | 10 |
| Blocks | 2 | 5 |
| Total Turnovers | 15 | 13 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 12 | 16 |
| Fast Break Points | 14 | 23 |
| Points in Paint | 54 | 48 |
| Fouls | 12 | 15 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 | 1 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 | 0 |
| Largest Lead | 36 | 7 |
Minnesota’s bonafide superstar, Anthony Edwards, could not get it going at any point against Thibodeau’s defense. He could muster just 17 points on 6 of 17 from the floor and 7 assists.
A key point was that the Knicks’ usual iron man did not play. Forward Josh Hart sat this one out due to personal reasons, which meant at least one of the Villanova Four could take part in the festivities.
In any event, this night belonged to the man of the hour, Karl-Anthony Towns, who received a warm welcome from the Timberwolves organization. Minnesota treated their former superstar to a tremendous “thank you” video before tip-off.
While there’s admittedly still much to iron out, especially on defense, Karl-Anthony Towns has provided the Knicks with the perfect 1-5 pick-and-roll combo that helps Jalen Brunson close out games and place every player in a more natural fit in the lineup.
Once Thursday’s slate of games finished, the Knicks found themselves ranked No. 7 in the points-per-game category (117.0), No. 2 in both field goal percentage (49.7%) and 3-point percentage (39.6%), and No. 9 in assists per contest (28.1).
No matter how it plays out—good, bad, or indifferent—KAT’s presence has certainly flipped the script on this team. The New York Knicks are inarguably much better suited to slipping into what works best in today’s NBA.
At 17-10, the Knicks maintain their No. 2 standing in the Atlantic Division and No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference (four games behind the Boston Celtics). Riding two straight wins, next up is another road game against the New Orleans Pelicans this Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET.
