Game ID: 22300221
New York Knicks @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Monday, November 20, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 31 27 35 24 117NYK 28 28 19 25 100
MIN vs NYK ScoutingMIN vs NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIN availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/15 · back-to-backOUT McLaughlin missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/18 · 2 days' restOUT McLaughlin missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/20 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT McDaniels missed 2 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT McLaughlin missed 9 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/28 · 1 day's restOUT McDaniels missed 3 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT McLaughlin missed 10 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Brown Jr. 11 to 17 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 11/13 · back-to-backOUT Fournier missed 9 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK Barrett back 11/06 after 2, 31 min since (105% of 30)
BACK Sims back 11/08 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 10 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK Barrett back 11/06 after 2, 31 min since (105% of 30)
BACK Sims back 11/08 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Barrett missed 2 since 11/13, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 11 since 10/25, returns tonight: 16 min (121% of 13)
BACK Sims back 11/08 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/18 · back-to-backOUT Barrett missed 3 since 11/13, returns tonight: 26 min (88% of 30)
BACK Fournier back 11/17 after 11, 16 min since (121% of 13)
BACK Sims back 11/08 after 3, 3 min since (21% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/20 · 1 day's restOUT Grimes missed 2 since 11/17, returns tonight: 25 min (123% of 20)
BACK Barrett back 11/18 after 3, 26 min since (88% of 30)
BACK Fournier back 11/17 after 11, 16 min since (121% of 13)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/24 · 3 days' restOUT Fournier missed 2 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK Barrett back 11/18 after 3, 24 min since (81% of 30)
BACK Grimes back 11/20 after 2, 25 min since (123% of 20)
NEW Robinson 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 3 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK Barrett back 11/18 after 3, 27 min since (93% of 30)
BACK Grimes back 11/20 after 2, 23 min since (112% of 20)
NYK availability going into 11/28 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 2 since 11/24, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 21)
OUT Fournier missed 4 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 11/24, returns tonight: 2 min (14% of 12)
BACK Barrett back 11/18 after 3, 28 min since (96% of 30)
BACK Grimes back 11/20 after 2, 22 min since (108% of 20)
NEW Robinson 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 5 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK Barrett back 11/18 after 3, 28 min since (96% of 30)
BACK McBride back 11/28 after 2, 1 min since (6% of 21)
BACK Grimes back 11/20 after 2, 21 min since (105% of 20)
BACK Sims back 11/28 after 2, 2 min since (14% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Towns at 27 and Edwards at 23 a game. One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 108, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Randle at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Grimes (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 43 percent from three to Minnesota's 35 and the glass, where New York has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota plus-1. Call it New York 112, Minnesota 111, Minnesota keeping it close.
11/12 @ GSW 116-110 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-110. MIN shot 52% (43 of 82) to GSW's 39%, 9 of 27 from three. Edwards led with 33 (11 of 27, 1 of 9 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Towns added 21, McDaniels 13. The hinge was Q3, 35-22: a lead of 3 became 16. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
11/14 @ GSW 104-101 — MIN notes
MIN won 104-101. MIN shot 44% (36 of 81) to GSW's 42%, 14 of 34 from three. Towns led with 33 (12 of 26, 5 of 12 from three); Edwards added 20, Conley 13. The hinge was Q4, 28-18: MIN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 3. MIN trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 50-42. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
11/15 @ PHX 115-133 — MIN notes
MIN lost 115-133. MIN shot 46% (42 of 92) to PHX's 60%, 5 of 27 from three, and went to the line 28 times to PHX's 15 — 26 points from the stripe to their 14. Towns led with 25 (10 of 17, 0 of 4 from three); Conley added 14, Edwards 13. Q4 was theirs, 33-23, the deficit cut from 28 to 18, but the other 3 periods went 110-82 against them. Edwards's -29 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/18 @ NOP 121-120 — MIN notes
MIN won 121-120. MIN shot 54% (43 of 80) to NOP's 51%, 13 of 31 from three. Towns led with 29 (10 of 11, 7 of 8 at the line); Edwards added 23, Gobert 17. The hinge was Q4, 36-25: MIN came in trailing by 10 and left it ahead by 1. MIN trailed 59-64 at the half and won the second half 62-56. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
11/20 vs NYK 117-100 — MIN notes
MIN won 117-100. MIN shot 51% (41 of 80) to NYK's 35%, 11 of 34 from three. Edwards led with 23 (9 of 21, 1 of 6 from three); Towns added 20, Gobert 16. The hinge was Q3, 35-19: a lead of 2 became 18, and the lead reached 22. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
11/22 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Towns at 26 and Edwards at 22 a game. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 27 free throws a game; Embiid at 31 and Maxey at 24 a game. Without Oubre Jr. (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 116, Philadelphia 113, Philadelphia keeping it close.
11/24 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Towns at 26 and Edwards at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Fox at 28 and Sabonis at 24 a game. Without Ellis (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 111 a night to Sacramento's 118. Call it Minnesota 116, Sacramento 111.
11/26 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 113, shooting 40 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Bane at 20 and Aldama at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Morant (15 straight), Smart (4 straight), Kennard (4 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Towns at 25 a game. Without McDaniels (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Minnesota takes 28 free throws a game to Memphis's 21 and the glass, where Minnesota has been minus-1 a night and Memphis minus-6. Call it Minnesota 112, Memphis 109, Memphis keeping it close.
11/28 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Towns at 23 a game. Without McDaniels (3 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 47 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 23 a game. Without Jal. Williams (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 47 percent from three to Minnesota's 39 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 14 times a game to OKC's 11. Call it Minnesota 115, OKC 114, OKC keeping it close.
11/13 @ BOS 98-114 — NYK notes
NYK lost 98-114. NYK shot 42% (33 of 79) to BOS's 51%, 15 of 35 from three, and went to the line 24 times to BOS's 16 — 17 points from the stripe to their 15. Brunson led with 26 (10 of 21, 3 of 7 from three); Randle added 25, Hart 16. Q2 was theirs, 29-27, turning a 1-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 87-69 against them. Brunson's -20 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/15 @ ATL 116-114 — NYK notes
NYK won 116-114. NYK shot 48% (45 of 94) to ATL's 55%, 16 of 34 from three, and got to the line 11 times to ATL's 26. The glass went 42-30 for them. Randle led with 29 (12 of 24, 3 of 5 from three); Brunson added 24, Quickley 20. The hinge was Q1, 33-22: from level to 11 ahead.
11/17 @ WAS 120-99 — NYK notes
NYK won 120-99. NYK shot 49% (45 of 91) to WAS's 45%, 16 of 38 from three. The glass went 48-32 for them. Brunson led with 32 (10 of 23, 6 of 10 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Quickley added 27, Randle 22. The hinge was Q4, 31-15: a lead of 5 became 21. Hart was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
11/18 @ CHA 122-108 — NYK notes
NYK won 122-108. NYK shot 51% (46 of 91) to CHA's 49%, 16 of 37 from three, and went to the line 19 times to CHA's 13 — 14 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 47-36 for them. Brunson led with 32 (12 of 21, 4 of 8 from three); DiVincenzo added 25, Randle 21. The hinge was Q1, 30-19: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Barrett was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
11/20 @ MIN 100-117 — NYK notes
NYK lost 100-117. NYK took 12 more shots (92 to 80), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 35% to MIN's 51%, 9 of 38 from three. Brunson led with 25 (7 of 15, 3 of 6 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Randle added 21, Quickley 15. Q2 was theirs, 28-27, the deficit cut from 3 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 90-72 against them. Grimes's -18 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/24 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. 3 days' rest. Miami comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 104, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Butler III at 24 and Adebayo at 22 a game. Without Herro (7 straight), Jović (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-9 a night and Miami minus-1 and the defense, Miami allowing 104 a night to New York's 110. Call it New York 110, Miami 109, Miami keeping it close.
11/26 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 32 free throws a game; Durant at 35 and Booker at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Beal (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-10 a night and Phoenix minus-1 and the line, where Phoenix takes 32 free throws a game to New York's 20. Call it New York 114, Phoenix 112, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/28 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 30 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without McBride (2 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Ball at 30 and Bridges at 21 a game. Without Richards (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 108 a night to Charlotte's 123 and the glass, where New York has been plus-6 a night and Charlotte minus-3. Call it New York 118, Charlotte 108, New York by 10.
11/30 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 106, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 26 and Randle at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 129, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Cunningham at 23 and Ivey at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 106 a night to Detroit's 129 and the glass, where New York has been plus-5 a night and Detroit minus-2. Call it New York 119, Detroit 105, New York by 14.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKDD D. DiVincenzo
DJ D. Jeffries
IH I. Hartenstein
IQ I. Quickley
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JR J. Randle
JS J. Sims
MR M. Robinson
QG Q. Grimes
RA R. Arcidiacono
RB R. Barrett
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
SM S. Milton
TB T. Brown Jr.
NYK/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Timberwolves stay atop West, undefeated at home as Edwards, Towns shine in 117-100 win over Knicks
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Anthony Edwards had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points, and the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 117-100 on Monday night.
Minnesota (10-3) is 6-0 at home — tying a franchise record to start a season — and has won nine of its past 10 games. That stretch included seven straight wins, the franchise's longest streak since 2004 — which was the last year the Wolves made it past the first round of the playoffs.
“I think everyone in the locker room comes together and understands not only that we want to do something special and have a successful season,” Towns said, "but I think all of us understand what it takes to have that kind of season.
“We all have the will that’s needed to win on a daily basis, because we’ve seen how when you don’t have the will how seasons turn out. We also, at the end of the day, understand that Minnesota has lacked one word, and it's execution. If we can execute at a high level, we can see our fortunes change here.”
Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle had 21 for New York, which shot 34.8% (32 of 92) to Minnesota's 51.3%.
The Knicks (8-6) came in allowing a league-low 104.9 points per game.
“We missed some bunnies inside, and then we also missed some wide-open 3s,” said New York coach Tom Thibodeau, whose team saw a three-game win streak snapped. “You've got to make some shots.”
After a quiet first half, Edwards scored nine points during a 16-5 Wolves run to open the third quarter. Mike Conley 's third 3-pointer of the night gave them a 76-61 lead with 7:53 remaining in the period.
They never trailed by less than 11 the rest of the way.
Rudy Gobert scored 16 points for the Wolves. Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter and didn't return. That opened up extended minutes for Nickeil Alexander-Walker , who finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
“I think we’re finding a cohesiveness together,” Alexander-Walker said. “I can’t speak on how big this group has been in terms of chemistry on and off the court, and I think it’s just helping us ... on the court playing for each other, cutting, moving, defending, rebounding, trying to do the small little things to be a good team.”
Naz Reid added 10 points as the Wolves' bench outscored New York's reserves 43-30.
“We have a deep team; we have a lot of guys who can come in and guard,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “Everyone kind of stepped up.”
Quentin Grimes started for the Knicks after missing their previous two games with a sprained left wrist.