Julius Randle’s return to MSG was quiet but his star teammate was loud and the Knicks defense was just ugly.
Anthony Edwards dominated the struggling Knicks, who were again outplayed in the fourth quarter, again barraged by 3-pointers and again lost handily, 116-99, Friday night to the Timberwolves.
“I say this all the time — once a player gets confidence it’s hard to slow them down, especially at this level, so we got to establish our physicality and presence early and it’s on us,” Jalen Brunson said.
The Knicks (27-16) have dropped six of their past nine, losing all momentum after a strong December.
Edwards dropped 36 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists, as the Timberwolves carved up Tom Thibodeau’s Swiss cheese defense while hitting 22 treys on a ridiculous 56 percent.
“We didn’t cover the 3-point line like we needed to, got beat off the dribble,” Thibodeau said. “Didn’t start the game the way we needed to. We gave up second shots, didn’t guard the 3-point line, and the rebounding probably hurt us.”
On the other end, the Knicks were inefficient offensively without Karl-Anthony Towns, who sat in street clothes — though not in Philadelphia Eagles gear this time — while nursing a sprained thumb.
He was listed as questionable before tipoff and has two days off to heal before Trae Young returns to the Garden on MLK Day for his first game since the infamous dice roll.
“It’s day to day,” Thibodeau said of Towns’ recovery. “So when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. He’ll give it a shot tomorrow [at the practice facility] and we’ll see where he is.”
Brunson scored 26 points but shot just 9-for-23 with five assists. No other Knick had 20 points.
Jericho Sims started at center for New York and went scoreless in 18 minutes.
Randle, playing as an opponent at MSG for the first time since 2018, deferred to Edwards and took just six shots, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
He was lauded by both Thibodeau and Timberwolves coach Chris Finch for the playmaking.
“That’s what he does,” Thibodeau said. “He’s gonna force the defense to collapse, and he’s gotta read, and he made a number of good plays.”
For Randle, it was a long-awaited return to the Garden floor.
His previous game as a Knick at MSG was almost a year ago, when Randle dislocated his shoulder after tumbling over Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Randle subsequently attempted to return without surgery but suffered a setback, missed the remainder of the season, and was traded on the eve of training camp.
The other former Knick — Donte DiVincenzo — was ruled out with a sprained toe sustained two nights earlier against the Warriors.
Randle received a nice ovation during introductions, but the biggest cheers Friday night were for a fan who buried a half-court shot to win an SUV.
There was another injury scare for the Knicks in the third quarter, when Josh Hart collided with Sims under the basket.
Hart was clutching his shoulder in clear pain and darted to the locker room, but quickly reemerged and was subbed back in.
Hart finished with 12 points but shot just 3-for-12 with three turnovers. He did not talk to the media after the game.
The Timberwolves (22-19) have struggled this season but carry the talent for a contender, especially when Edwards is producing at a megastar level like Friday.
The Knicks?
They continue to have problems on defense and during fourth quarters, their worst quarter statistically, by far.
“We just got to be better,” Mikal Bridges said. “That’s all I can say.”