The primary quarter belonged to Julius Randle.
The second quarter belonged to Donte DiVincenzo.
However Wednesday night time belonged to the Knicks, who rode a second-half explosion to a 137-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Randle and DiVincenzo’s newest returns to Madison Sq. Backyard.
The Knicks (5-3) scored 83 of their season-high 137 factors within the second half and outscored Minnesota by 27 factors after halftime.
Jalen Brunson scored 16 of his 23 factors within the second half, and he completed with seven rebounds and 10 assists. OG Anunony led the Knicks with 25 factors on 10-of-17 capturing, together with 18 factors after halftime.
That was greater than sufficient to outlive a game-high 32 factors from Randle and 21 factors from DiVincenzo.
Karl-Anthony Cities, whom the Knicks acquired within the October 2024 commerce that despatched Randle and DiVincenzo to Minnesota, added 15 factors on 5-of-11 capturing with 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Randle acquired off to a sizzling begin. On the Wolves’ opening possession, Randle drilled a 3-pointer on an help from DiVincenzo. Lower than two minutes later, Randle made one other 3-pointer, and he completed the primary quarter with 11 factors on 4-of-7 capturing.
DiVincenzo then took over within the second quarter, making 4 3-pointers within the interval, together with a pair over an ex-Villanova teammate in Brunson and one other over fellow former faculty teammate Josh Hart.
Cities, who performed via an sickness that had made him a game-time determination, additionally had a robust second quarter, delivering a pair of emphatic dunks — together with one on which he backed down an overmatched Anthony Edwards — and likewise dished out three assists.
However within the waning seconds of the primary half, DiVincenzo stole the ball on a nasty move by Anunoby, then discovered Randle for an alley-oop lay-up to provide Minnesota a 58-54 lead on the break.
The Knicks answered with a 10-0 run within the third quarter, which Brunson capped with a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up, 76-67. Brunson scored 12 factors throughout that third quarter, throughout which the Knicks outscored the Timberwolves, 40-28.
The Knicks led, 94-86, going into the fourth quarter, and so they solely padded their lead from there. Anunoby scored 11 factors within the fourth, serving to the Knicks outscore Minnesota, 43-28, within the quarter.
Six completely different Knicks scored not less than 13 factors as they shot 55-of-102 (53.9%) from the sphere and 19-of-42 (45.2%) on 3-pointers. Mitchell Robinson had 9 offensive rebounds, serving to the Knicks rating 31 second-chance factors.
Wednesday marked Randle’s second regular-season sport on the Backyard because the commerce. In final season’s return, Randle completed with eight factors, seven rebounds and 6 assists in a 116-99 win at MSG.
DiVincenzo missed that sport with a sprained toe, and whereas he had performed in two preseason video games on the Backyard with the Wolves, Wednesday marked his first time again for a contest that counted.
Randle performed 5 seasons with the Knicks from 2019-24, incomes three All-Star picks.
The Knicks have been contemporary off of a sixth consecutive shedding season when Randle signed with them throughout the 2019 offseason — the identical summer time Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving spurned them for the Nets — and he proved to be instrumental of their turnaround.
DiVincenzo spent solely the 2023-24 season with the Knicks, however the gritty guard shortly turned a fan favourite as he, Brunson and Hart fashioned the “Nova Knicks.”
The sharp-shooting DiVincenzo set the franchise’s single-season report with 283 made 3-pointers that yr, then delivered a pair of game-winning 3-pointers that postseason.
Earlier than Wednesday’s sport, DiVincenzo chatted on the court docket with Brunson and Hart, the latter of whom jokingly placed on the face masks that DiVincenzo has been sporting to guard a damaged nostril.
The Timberwolves acquired 15 factors in 29 minutes from Edwards, who beat his anticipated timeline for a strained hamstring to return for Wednesday’s sport. Randle shot 12-of-21 from the sphere, whereas DiVincenzo went 5-of-11 on 3-pointers.
However that wasn’t sufficient to prime the Knicks, who’ve now gained three video games in a row, all since getting back from final week’s 0-3 street journey. They’re 5-0 on the Backyard this season.
Their season-long seven-game homestand continues Sunday night time, once they host the Nets (1-7) within the first interborough battle of the season.
