Karl-Anthony Towns threw the first punch, but Julius Randle had the last laugh.
The two players took on each other when the Knicks traveled to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Tuesday. Towns returned to Minneapolis for the second time since the trade that sent him to New York for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo two summers ago, and he had 24 points in the first half and finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds on 14-of-24 shooting from the field.
But Randle put the finishing touches on Minnesota’s 115-104 win over the Knicks on Tuesday. The former Knicks All-Star finished with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field. 17 of Randle’s 25 points came in the fourth quarter, and the star who came to New York and brought back the Knicks in the summer of 2019 put his arms around Towns and the Knicks bench after several baskets late in the final period, putting the Knicks away for their ninth loss in 29 games this season.
Randle is now averaging 21.7 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Knicks since the trade, and DiVincenzo finished with 11 points, eight assists and three assists on seven attempts against his old team.
For the Knicks, the loss was expected considering who was on the injury report.
Knicks All-Star guard and team captain Jalen Brunson led the way in street clothes with a right ankle injury managed, and OG Anunoby (sore left ankle) and Gershon Yabusile (illness) joined Myles McBride (sprained left ankle) and Landry Shamet (sprained right shoulder), who missed significant time with their injuries.
With several key contributors on the shelf, head coach Mike Brown started sophomore guard Tyler Kulek at point guard and inserted Mitchell Robinson back into the first unit.
Kulick responded with the best game of his young career: 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals on 9-of-22 shooting from the field.
While Kulik’s night was refreshing, Towns’ night was essential. He’s coming off a nightmare performance, where he recorded just two points and six rebounds on one of six shots from the field in the Knicks’ win over the Miami Heat on Sunday. Towns has averaged just 16.8 points per game over his last six games Tuesday at Minnesota.
So a trip down memory lane was exactly what the doctor ordered: Towns had 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists on 10-of-12 shooting from the field in his first game in Minnesota on Dec. 19, 2024.
But the Knicks got almost nothing from their depleted bench: Jordan Clarkson scored 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field, and rookie Ariel Hokborty and rookie Mohamed Diawara combined to score the Knicks’ other five points off the bench. The Wolves won by a second unit margin despite only getting 22 points from their reserves.
Additionally, Josh Hart had an emotionally charged game and was ruled a flagrant foul after hitting the Wolves’ Rudy Gobert on the leg, which Hart quickly followed up with by shoving the former four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert made two free throws with less than 90 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Wolves an 82-76 lead.
Wolves star Anthony Edwards scored 38 points on 15-of-27 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 shooting from three-point range to go with four steals. Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field.
The Knicks now return home, where they are 14-2 on the season, to host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden.