Randle triumphant vs ex-team Knicks

NEW YORK – Julius Randle marked his return to Madison Square Garden with a quiet game. But his impact was felt in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-99 rout of his former team, the New York Knicks, on Friday night (Saturday Manila time). 

Randle scored only eight points on six shots in his first game in New York since he was traded to Minnesota with Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns in October. But the Timberwolves did not need Randle to do the heavy lifting. 

His new teammates Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid combined for 14 of the Timberwolves’ 22 3-pointers, which matched their season-best. 

"Julius wants to win,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said after the win. “He'll do whatever we need him to do to win. I thought he had opportunities to be a little more aggressive or take some shots, but he turned them down and made the right plays.”

When the Knicks doubled Randle, he found his open teammates, leading to six assists. He also grabbed seven rebounds for a well-rounded performance. 

“That’s what he does,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said of Randle. “He’s gonna force the defense to collapse, and he’s gotta read, and he made a number of good plays.” 

His new coach did not mind the single-digit scoring as long as he impacted winning. 

“He’s a plus-20,” Finch added. “That’s the only number on this [stats] sheet that I really care about other than the win.”

Ant Attack

With Randle doing the dirty work, Edwards torched the Knicks with a game-high 36 points while Reid, a former high school star in New Jersey across the Hudson River, added 23 off the bench. 

“He’s very aggressive throughout and the one thing is his volume of three-pointers has gone way up this year,’ Thibodeau said of Edwards. “So, I knew he would keep shooting and he made a number of good plays as well.”

Edwards is leading the league in most 3-pointers by a large margin this season with 175. His closest pursuer is Miami Heat’s rising star Tyler Herro, who has 158. 

“He’s a tough cover and you need all five [players] working together and you got to try to make him work,” Thibodeau continued. 

Even if they knew what was coming, the Knicks’ defense was a step slow and could not keep up with the Timberwolves star, who flirted with a triple-double. Edwards also finished with 13 rebounds and seven assists, both game-high. 

Towns’ Absence 

DiVincenzo (sprained toe) and Towns (sprained thumb) did not play. It was Towns’ absence that was felt the hardest. 

Without their center, who is a walking double-double, it took a toll on the Knicks, who heavily relied on Jalen Brunson to no avail. 

The Knicks captain finished with 26 points and five assists. But no other Knick reached 20 points. 

Cam Payne added 18 points off the bench, rattling off 16 in a scintillating second-quarter performance that kept the Knicks afloat 63-59 at the half. However, the Timberwolves methodically broke them down with a barrage of three-pointers and pulled away late in the fourth quarter. 

The Knicks sorely missed Towns, who had 32 points and 20 rebounds during their first meeting, which they handily won in Minnesota by 26 back in December. 

Towns went 5-for-5 from the 3-point line in that game. His former teammates turned the tables around this time. 

Edwards pierced the Knicks’ defense with 8-of-13 three-point shooting while Reid was a perfect 6-for-6. 

The Knicks’ defense was left scrambling, with the Timberwolves shooting 53.2% overall and 55% from long distance. 

“We didn’t cover the 3-point line like we needed to,” Thibodeau said. [We] got beat off the dribble. [We] didn’t start the game the way we needed to. We gave up second shots, didn’t guard the 3-point line, and the rebounding probably hurt us.” 

Minnesota outrebounded New York 46-41 and scored more second-chance points 17-9.

Thibodeau is hopeful Towns will return to the lineup when the Knicks try to rebound against the Atlanta Hawks on Martin Luther King Day on Monday (Tuesday Manila time). 

“He’s day-to-day,” Thibodeau said. “He’ll give it a shot tomorrow, see where he is and we’ll go from there.”

Not easily forgotten

Randle did not show any emotion during his return to New York where he became a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA forward after helping the Knicks to three playoff appearances in five seasons. 

He was the Knicks’ best player during their first postseason run in 2021, breaking the franchise’s seven-year playoff drought. He was the face of the Knicks culture before Brunson’s arrival and eventually became the pawn to acquire Towns. 

"Terrific. He had a great run, helped lift the team up,” Thibodeau said of Randle before the game. “He not only excelled individually but the team excelled while he was here.”

The Knicks fans showed him love in his much-anticipated return. 

Julius Randle is on the court for his warmup and the kids roared. pic.twitter.com/zRt2PAxLpu

— alder almo (@alderalmo) January 17, 2025

Randle received a loud ovation during the players’ introduction. 

MSG crowd showered the returning Julius Randle with a loud ovation. #OAKAAK pic.twitter.com/AbAV72ycUq

— alder almo (@alderalmo) January 18, 2025

But once the game tipped off, he was booed when he went to the free-throw line. 

The game got chippy, with Randle setting a hard pick that decked Brunson to the floor in the early moments of the game. He also had a little back-and-forth with Josh Hart in another physical play in the first half. 

Injury scare

The Knicks also dodged a bullet when Hart, who was pushed by Minnesota wing Jaden McDaniels, collided with his teammate Jericho Sims. He went to the locker room, holding his shoulder. He checked back in a few minutes later. 

Hart appears to be ok. Set to check back in. https://t.co/WNUDlMb4UW pic.twitter.com/WvbC9WyiEh

— alder almo (@alderalmo) January 18, 2025

But Hart hardly had an impact. 

Unlike in his triple-double effort in their road win in Philadelphia two nights ago, Hart was a non-factor against Minnesota. 

He was 3-for-12 from the field against the Timberwolves’ towering frontline of Randle, Reid and Rudy Gobert. 

Hart finished with 12 points, but he had a game-worst minus-24. 

Birthday spoiler

Without Towns, Brunson tried to carry the Knicks, scoring 13 of their first 16 points. The Timberwolves were never rattled. Their torrid outside shooting was just too much for Brunson and the Knicks to overcome. 

There was not much to cheer about the Knicks’ performance save for a fan whose halfcourt shot in between the third and fourth quarter won him a 2025 Kia Telluride and a hug from Knicks super fan and actor-director Ben Stiller. 

come to the garden, hit a half court shot... WIN A @Kia  pic.twitter.com/cIQiPzi5eC

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 18, 2025

The Knicks’ sixth loss in their last nine games spoiled Thibodeau’s 67th birthday and dropped them to a 27-16 record. Their cushion for the third seed in the East was cut down to 2.5 games ahead of the streaking Milwaukee Bucks (23-17).

The Timberwolves improved to 22-19 in the West with the victory. 

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.