Game ID: 22400367
New York Knicks @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 9:30 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 33 18 23 33 107NYK 32 41 31 29 133
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 12/06 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 5 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 3 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Conley back 11/27 after 3, 27 min since (109% of 25)
MIN availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 6 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Conley back 11/27 after 3, 27 min since (109% of 25)
MIN availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Clark missed 7 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 5 since 11/29, returns tonight: 8 min (74% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 8 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 8 min since (74% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/19 · 3 days' restOUT Clark missed 9 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 8 min since (83% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 10 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 11 min since (109% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 11 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 11 min since (109% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 12 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 9 min since (86% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 13 since 11/26, out tonight
NYK availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's rest
full strength
NYK availability going into 12/09 · 1 day's restOUT Payne missed 2 since 12/05, returns tonight: 13 min (93% of 14)
NYK availability going into 12/11 · 1 day's restBACK Payne back 12/09 after 2, 13 min since (93% of 14)
NYK availability going into 12/15 · 3 days' restBACK Payne back 12/09 after 2, 15 min since (105% of 14)
NYK availability going into 12/19 · 3 days' restBACK Payne back 12/09 after 2, 13 min since (94% of 14)
NYK availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restBACK Payne back 12/09 after 2, 14 min since (103% of 14)
NYK availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Payne back 12/09 after 2, 13 min since (94% of 14)
NYK availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's rest
full strength
NYK availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's rest
full strength
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 105 a night and allowing 93, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 24 and Randle at 16 a game. 3 days' rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and Towns at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 3 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 93 a night to New York's 106 and the line, where New York takes 25 free throws a game to Minnesota's 18. Call it Minnesota 109, New York 105, New York keeping it close.
12/06 @ GSW 107-90 — MIN notes
MIN won 107-90. MIN shot 45% (40 of 88) to GSW's 39%, 14 of 42 from three. MIN turned it over 17 times to GSW's 22. Edwards led with 30 (11 of 18, 4 of 10 from three); Gobert added 17, Randle 16. The hinge was Q4, 29-18: a lead of 6 became 17, and the lead reached 23. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/08 @ GSW 106-114 — MIN notes
MIN lost 106-114. MIN shot 46% (36 of 79) to GSW's 47%, 19 of 42 from three. Edwards led with 27 (10 of 19, 5 of 9 from three); Alexander-Walker added 19, Randle 14. Q1 was theirs, 30-21, but the other 3 periods went 93-76 against them. They led by as many as 12. Gobert's -12 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 vs LAL 97-87 — MIN notes
MIN won 97-87. MIN shot 40% (35 of 87) to LAL's 38%, 9 of 32 from three, and went to the line 24 times to LAL's 17 — 18 points from the stripe to their 11. MIN turned it over 13 times to LAL's 21. Edwards led with 23 (9 of 20, 2 of 7 from three); Randle added 21, McDaniels 18. The hinge was Q1, 32-23: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
12/15 @ SAS 106-92 — MIN notes
MIN won 106-92. MIN shot 40% (40 of 100) to SAS's 41%, 12 of 35 from three, and went to the line 16 times to SAS's 9 — 14 points from the stripe to their 7. MIN turned it over 12 times to SAS's 18. Edwards led with 26 (10 of 21, 3 of 7 from three); Alexander-Walker added 17, McDaniels 12. The hinge was Q1, 28-19: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
12/19 vs NYK 107-133 — MIN notes
MIN lost 107-133. MIN shot 46% (41 of 89) to NYK's 52%, 17 of 42 from three. The glass went 37-57 against them. Randle led with 24 (8 of 17, 4 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Edwards added 17, DiVincenzo 15. Q4 was theirs, 33-29, the deficit cut from 30 to 26, but the other 3 periods went 104-74 against them. Gobert's -37 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 103, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Randle at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 118, shooting 43 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Curry at 20 and Wiggins at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Moody (3 straight), Post (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 103 a night to Golden State's 118. Call it Minnesota 112, Golden State 106.
12/23 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 122, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Young at 24 and Hunter at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Okongwu (2 straight), Gueye (21 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 22 and Randle at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-4 a night and Minnesota minus-6 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 108 a night to Atlanta's 122. Call it Minnesota 113, Atlanta 112, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/25 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Thompson at 20 a game. Without Hardy (6 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 108, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 20 and Randle at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where Dallas takes 26 free throws a game to Minnesota's 18 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 108 a night to Dallas's 115. Call it Dallas 114, Minnesota 109.
12/27 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brooks at 22 and Green at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Brooks (2 straight), Eason (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Edwards at 21 and Randle at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-10 a night and Minnesota minus-2 and the line, where Houston takes 24 free throws a game to Minnesota's 16. Call it Houston 113, Minnesota 106.
12/07 vs DET 111-120 — NYK notes
NYK lost 111-120. NYK shot 53% (42 of 79) to DET's 52%, 11 of 34 from three, and went to the line 27 times to DET's 19 — 16 points from the stripe to their 16. The glass went 31-43 against them. Brunson led with 31 (11 of 21, 3 of 7 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Bridges added 20, Hart 17. Q3 was theirs, 27-20, the deficit cut from 11 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 100-84 against them. McBride's -14 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/09 @ TOR 113-108 — NYK notes
NYK won 113-108. NYK shot 51% (42 of 82) to TOR's 45%, 17 of 40 from three, and went to the line 19 times to TOR's 11 — 12 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 40-51 against them. Towns led with 24 (7 of 13, 2 of 5 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Bridges added 23, Brunson 20. The hinge was Q4, 30-22: NYK came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 5. NYK trailed 60-61 at the half and won the second half 53-47.
12/11 vs ATL 100-108 — NYK notes
NYK lost 100-108. NYK shot 43% (40 of 93) to ATL's 41%, 11 of 42 from three. Hart led with 21 (8 of 12, 3 of 5 from three); Bridges added 19, Towns 19. Q1 was theirs, 28-22, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 12. Bridges's -17 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 @ ORL 100-91 — NYK notes
NYK won 100-91. NYK shot 46% (33 of 71) to ORL's 42%, 10 of 24 from three, and went to the line 30 times to ORL's 13 — 24 points from the stripe to their 10. Brunson led with 31 (8 of 18, 4 of 8 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Towns added 22, Bridges 17. The hinge was Q2, 29-19: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Anunoby was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/19 @ MIN 133-107 — NYK notes
NYK won 133-107. NYK shot 52% (50 of 97) to MIN's 46%, 20 of 45 from three. The glass went 57-37 for them. Towns led with 32 (10 of 12, 5 of 5 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Bridges added 29, McBride 16. The hinge was Q2, 41-18: NYK came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 22, and the lead reached 36. Bridges was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
12/21 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Murphy III at 21 and McCollum at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Williamson (19 straight), Alvarado (17 straight), Payton (6 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Towns at 24 and Brunson at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 107 a night to New Orleans's 121 and the glass, where New York has been minus-1 a night and New Orleans minus-6. Call it New York 116, New Orleans 109.
12/23 vs TOR — 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 110 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and Towns at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Toronto comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Barrett at 25 and Dick at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Barrett (2 straight), Poeltl (2 straight), Quickley (18 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 101 a night to Toronto's 113 and the glass, where New York has been plus-1 a night and Toronto minus-5. Call it New York 116, Toronto 105, New York by 11.
12/25 vs SAS — 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 115 a night and allowing 105, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Towns at 23 and Brunson at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 29 and Sochan at 15 a game. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-1 and the arc, New York at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 35. Call it New York 115, San Antonio 109.
12/27 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 30 from three, 21 free throws a game; da Silva at 16 and Suggs at 16 a game. Without Banchero (27 straight), Wagner (7 straight), Harris (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Bridges at 24 and Towns at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 41 percent from three to Orlando's 30 and the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 17 times a game to New York's 13. Call it New York 109, Orlando 107, Orlando keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
DD D. DiVincenzo
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
JR J. Randle
LG L. Garza
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RD R. Dillingham
RG R. Gobert
TS T. Shannon Jr.
NYKAH A. Hukporti
CP C. Payne
JB J. Brunson
JS J. Sims
KT K. Towns
MB M. Bridges
MM M. McBride
MR M. Ryan
OA O. Anunoby
PA P. Achiuwa
PD P. Dadiet
TK T. Kolek
MIN/NYK 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
Towns tears up T-wolves in return with 32 points and 20 rebounds in 133-107 romp by Knicks
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 20 rebounds in his return to Minnesota , leading the inspired New York Knicks past the Timberwolves 133-107 on Thursday night.
Mikal Bridges scored 29 points for the Knicks, who built a lead as big as 36 points in the third quarter and won for the 12th time in 16 games.
Towns was the star, the subject of a loud ovation and a tribute video before the game highlighting his nine seasons with Minnesota after being picked first overall in the 2015 draft.
Traded to New York just before training camp began for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo , Towns clearly had fun from start to finish as the Knicks romped to 73-point first half.
Randle had 24 points for the Timberwolves, who were outscored 37-8 over the first nine minutes of the second quarter. Towns had 19 points in that period, his highest in any quarter this season.
Key moment Midway through the third quarter, Towns grabbed a rebound to start a fast break and finished on the other end with his fifth 3-pointer, striking a pose in front of Timberwolves coach Chris Finch after a perfect swish for an 84-59 lead.
Key stat The Timberwolves, in winning six of their previous seven games, held opponents to 92 points or fewer in each victory. This was the most points they've allowed this season.
Takeaways Knicks: Josh Hart was scratched from the starting lineup for personal reasons, but one of the NBA 's best offenses never missed a beat and shot 51.5% from the field.
Timberwolves: This was an emotional game for them just as much as it was for Towns, but they never recovered from a staggering second quarter by the Knicks and lacked energy the rest of the way.
Up next New York plays at New Orleans on Saturday, when Minnesota hosts Golden State.