The New York Knicks took care of business once again last night in their 137-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The new rivalry was formed after last year’s blockbuster in-season trade, with New York receiving Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo. Last night we got to see those three pieces put on a show at Madison Square Garden.
Julius Randle was determined to play well against his former team, he had a complicated relationship with the fans during his time in New York but has since found a new home with the Timberwolves. Randle wasted no time, opening the game by hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Minnesota the 3-0 lead. He went on to score 18 points in the first half with 9 of them coming from behind the arc. Randle finished his night with 32 points and five rebounds, leading all scorers.
It didn’t stop there. The other key piece in the trade, Donte DiVincenzo, was red-hot from three, scoring 12 first half points, all of them being three-pointers. He continued to score in the second half and ended his night with 21 points. DiVincenzo looks comfortable in his new role as the starting point guard for Minnesota.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 10 points and five rebounds at the half and finished his night with a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double — his seventh double-double already this season.
The game was back and forth, providing fans with an exciting first half where the Timberwolves found themselves up 58-54. However, this would all change as the Knicks once again made halftime adjustments and took control in the third quarter, where they would score 40 points led by the captain himself, Jalen Brunson. New York entered the fourth quarter up 94-86 and kept their foot on the pedal the rest of the way.
Jalen Brunson was relatively quiet in the first half but caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 12 points to get the Garden crowd on its feet. He went on to finish the night with 23 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds — a near triple-double to go along with a win. As good as Brunson played, the game ball belongs to OG Anunoby.
Ever since the Knicks acquired Anunoby in a trade with the Toronto Raptors, he has been the teams biggest X-factor. The elite defense he provides along with the evolution of his offensive game has allowed the team to flourish. Anunoby finished his night as the Knicks leading scorer with 25 points, along with an impressive eight rebounds and two steals. When the Knicks are firing on all cylinders there are very few teams that can hang with them. Getting the win last night over the rival Timberwolves will surely help carry their momentum going forward.
The Knicks face off against the struggling Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night, where they will look to extend their win streak to 4 games.