The New York Knicks fought hard without Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, but the fight was not hard enough. They ultimately fell short on the road by a score of 104-115 and fell to 20-9 on the season.
Knicks lose behind a big stretch from Julius Randle
Anthony Edwards was the guy who was in control for most of the night, but it was the Knicks’ old friend, Julius Randle, who delivered the knockout punch. After scoring just eight points through the first three quarters, he dominated the fourth quarter with 17 points in the final period, including a stretch where he scored 15 straight points.
Randle, who was traded to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns in September 2024, finally got his revenge performance against his former team. Towns also had a great revenge outing, scoring a season-high 40 points against the team he spent his first nine seasons with, but it was Randle’s new squad that would come out on top.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown broke down what happened in the fourth quarter that ultimately killed New York’s chances of pulling off the victory.
The Knicks took their foot off the gas in the fourth
“He was just aggressive. He was just taking it right to us. We started blitzing Edwards, and they basically just gave him the ball and he put his head down and he attacked our chests. Again, we gotta give them credit, because he used his footwork, he used his power, he used his strength, he used his quickness to get by us, to finish at the rim and to get to the free-throw line,” Brown said (h/t Posting and Toasting).
The Knicks did a solid job at containing him throughout the game, but they let go of the rope when they needed to keep the game close. Ultimately, it was Randle’s shot-making that helped them extend their lead to 17 at one point in the fourth, which made it too tough for the Knicks to mount a comeback.
New York will look to bounce back in a big way on Thursday when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Christmas Day matinee.