Karl-Anthony Towns’ return home for the holidays was anything but a no-rough-stuff-type-of-deal for the New York Knicks.
Towns recovered from a tepid weekend outing in front of his former adoring public but his sterling outing wasn’t enough for the Knicks to avoid a 115-104 defeat to his original NBA employers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on Tuesday at Target Center.
Towns paired 40 points with 13 rebounds but didn’t receive much help as the Knicks (20-9) dropped their final pre-Christmas showing. Tyler Kolek, making his first professional start, assisted with 20 points and 11 boards (falling two assists short of a triple-double). But, beyond that pair, the Knicks hit only 18 shots from the field and shot less than 34%.
Former Knicks franchise face Julius Randle scored 25 points for Minnesota while Anthony Edwards had 38. The Knicks notably played without two of their own headliners, as OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson sat due to minor injuries.
Despite those departures, the Knicks kept things respectable for most of the game. Minnesota (20-10) jumped out to a 15-point lead in the second period but the Knicks used a 16-5 run in the last five minutes before a Rudy Gobert tip-in created a seven-point lead at the half.
The Wolves immediately re-established their double-figure lead at the top of the third with consecutive triples for Edwards (who scored 16 points in the period) and Mike Conley yet the shorthanded Knicks refused to fully give in, even taking the lead on a 13-1 run. A Jaylen Clark triple in the penultimate second, however, perhaps flipped momentum for good.
Still up by six entering the fourth, the Timberwolves enjoyed a fourth quarter breakout from Randle, who scored 17 points over the last dozen. Yet another ex-Knick, Donte DiVincenzo, delivered the dagger from deep with 4:12 remaining, creating the Wolves’ largest lead of the night. The Knicks never got closer than nine after that and fell below .500 on the road this season.
Minnesota has been on a tear this holiday season: their record since Thanksgiving improved to 10-2, which is tied for the best in basketball with the San Antonio Spurs (the Knicks fell to 9-3).
Rudy Gobert had a 16-rebound, 11-point double-double while Naz Reid pulled in 11 boards off the bench. With Towns, Kolek, and Josh Hart (team-high 15) all in double-figures, the Knicks outrebound the physical Wolves by 13 but they lost 19 turnovers that yielded 22 points for the hosts.
With the loss, New York splits its annual double with the Timberwolves, as each team successfully defended its home floor. The Knicks now face their near-annual working holiday on Thursday, as they’ll host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden (12 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN). Minnesota also plays on Christmas, closing out the festive slate against Denver.
