In the teams’ first matchup following a full season since the blockbuster trade that saw the swap of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, the Knicks were the better team Wednesday night as they took down the Minnesota Timberwolves 137-114.
Both teams made their respective conference finals last postseason, proving that the trade was a win-win on both sides. Randle has been Minnesota’s best player this season in the absence of Anthony Edwards, who returned to the court Wednesday night, and DiVincenzo is averaging career-highs in minutes played and three-point percentage in his starting point guard role. On the other hand, Towns is averaging career-highs in rebounds per game, coming off his first All-NBA season on the East Coast.
It was a night of highly anticipated returns all around. Towns faced his former teammates in Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards and dunked on them both early in the second quarter. Randle and DiVincenzo were the Timberwolves’ leading scorers, scoring 32 and 21, respectively. Edwards returned from injury after a week and a half, but was held to only 15 points on 38.5% shooting from the field, and finished with a game-low -25.
The win extended the Knicks’ winning streak to three, bringing their record to 5-3 as they remain undefeated at the Garden this season. Here are some of the biggest takeaways amidst their three-game winning streak:
The ‘Bockers keep bringing it on the boards
The defining stat of the night was the difference in rebounds for each team. New York outrebounded Minnesota 50 to 31, with Towns and Robinson leading the way, both with 10 boards each.
New York excelled on the offensive glass, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds compared to the Timberwolves’ nine, allowing for more second-chance opportunities. New York capitalized on those chances with 31 second-chance points, 17 more than Minnesota’s 14.
The Knicks have been delivering in the rebounding department all season, especially on the offensive glass. They’re first in the league in offensive rebounds per game and top-five in overall rebounding. This is all with Mitchell Robinson, arguably the team’s best rebounder, on a load management plan, only playing three out of the team’s eight games this season.
Home is where the Hart is
In the three games to start this Knicks homestand, Josh Hart has officially returned to his hard-nosed, hustling signature form that Knicks fans know and love.
For his first four games of the season, Hart struggled mightily from the field, never scoring over six points. He was averaging 2.8 points per game on 21.1% shooting. He was dealing with a back issue to begin the season and continues to deal with a nerve injury in his right hand, contributing to his slow start to the year.
In the last three games in the Knicks’ return to the Garden, he’s regained his rhythm, averaging 13 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, with an efficient 58.8% from the field and 37.5% from three.
Last night was his best performance to date, shooting the lights out from behind the arc, knocking down four of his five three-point attempts and scoring a season-high 18 points. If Hart can keep this consistent play up, it makes the Knicks’ second unit that much scarier. He’s the team’s biggest spark off the bench and a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate if he can keep up his recent high level of play.
Options A and B, Anunoby and Brunson
It might be time to stop calling OG Anunoby merely a defensive specialist. The forward has shown a consistent offensive game to start the season, leading the team in scoring twice over the first eight games, including last night, when he scored 25 points on 58.8% shooting and 60% from three-point range. He’s averaging 18.5 points on 50% from the field and 41.7% from three over the last three games.
Anunoby’s still been doing his normal work on the defensive end and is averaging 3.5 steals per game in the last three games of this homestand. His role as a specialist who you can count on defensively, as well as someone who can light it up from the field on any given night, really puts into perspective the depth of this Knicks team. One night, you’ll have Jalen Brunson leading the team in scoring, another night it’s Towns, and the next day it could be Anunoby.
Brunson, who has been leading the team in the scoring department all season, was the second-highest scorer last night, scoring 23 points on 45% from the field and 42.9% from three. He also dished out a season-high 10 assists.
The Knicks have continued to stay in rhythm over this win streak, slowly finding their identity as the young season progresses. They look to extend their streak to four as they take on their crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, on Sunday at the Garden.
