New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle in the third quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Dec. 19, 2024. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Karl-Anthony Towns got to Target Center early Thursday morning before anyone was in the arena. He sat by himself and reminisced. There were a lot of emotions and memories in that building. There was a lot of time spent with people that meant a lot to Towns, like Flip Saunders who drafted him, as well as long list of friends and teammates through the years.
Those thoughts were racing through his mind again when the Timberwolves gave him a video tribute during the New York Knicks’ pregame introductions. He was honored to play with so many great teammates. There was a feeling of gratitude.
“I’m blessed to be able to have called Minnesota home, this place that welcomed me with open arms and gave me, my family especially, my mother, some of the best memories of my life,” Towns said.
Towns gave fans at Target Center plenty of great memories, too, and they showed their appreciation. A sparse crowd cheered Towns when he came out for pregame warmups an hour before the game. By the time Towns was announced as a Knicks starter and the tribute played on the video board, a filled-in and sold-out crowd let out a roaring applause.
“I think the community and fan base really appreciated what he did here, through some tough circumstances at times, you know, he always showed up,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said pregame.
After the introductions concluded, it was game time, and Towns certainly showed up.
The Wolves kept him in check for a short while. Towns hit 3-pointer early in the first quarter — to some applause from the Target Center crowd — for his only points of the opening frame. But he made sure to put on a show in the second quarter.
Towns hit a 3 early in the quarter that put the Knicks up six. A few possessions later, he got to the rim for a layup, drew a foul and hit the ensuing free throw for a double-digit lead. He later repeated that sequence in the midst of a lengthy Wolves scoring drought as the Knicks expanded their lead to a commanding 23-point advantage.
Towns made another free throw and two more 3s before the quarter was out.
Towns scored 19 points in the second quarter alone. The Knicks opened the frame on a 26-2 run and outscored the Wolves 41-18 overall in the quarter to take a 73-51 lead into the halftime break. As Rudy Gobert put it, “not much” of what the Wolves were doing defensively against Towns was working. There still wasn’t much working after halftime, either.
Towns ultimately finished with 32 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals in a 133-107 Knicks victory. Finch said pregame that having Towns at the five is like a “cheat code for offense.” That’s what it felt like Thursday night as he shot 10 for 12 from the field, including a perfect 5 for 5 from 3-point range. His efficiency drove the Knicks’ offense.
“Shout out to my teammates just empowering me and putting me in the spots to succeed. I think everyone saw it, they understood the game was a big game for me, personally. It was a personal game, and for them to be supporting me the way they did meant a lot,” Towns said.
It was a big game for Towns, who was playing back at Target Center for the first time since being traded to the Knicks in the offseason for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. It’s a game that featured friends like Anthony Edwards, who was “mad that we lost … but I’m super happy for (Towns), he’s my dog.” Towns similarly called Edwards his “brother.”
Towns is thriving in his first season in New York, averaging 25.0 points, a career-high 14.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He’s shooting 53% from the field and 46% from 3. But excelling in his new landing spot doesn’t change the emotions of the night. It didn’t mean that Towns wasn’t motivated to show exactly what he’s capable of on the court.
Towns accomplished the ultimate goal of the night — getting a win for the Knicks. But as much as that was the focus, and as important as it was to achieve that goal, that wasn’t the only thing on his mind for his return to his former home arena.
“That win is really important, something that we’re very appreciative we can get,” Towns said. “Personally though, this game wasn’t just another game, and if anyone told you anything otherwise, that’s a lie.”
