NEW YORK, NY – Karl-Anthony Towns’s 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, as well as Anthony Edwards’s 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists helped the Minnesota Timberwolves come back and beat the New York Knicks, 112-110.
The Timberwolves had a 61-51 lead at the end of the half. However, New York responded with a hot third quarter to give them a 91-86 lead.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, they turned the ball over 5 times late in the game and ended up in foul trouble. That helped Minnesota creep back, eventually getting the chance with the ball and down by one point.
With 29 seconds to go, Towns was unfazed by Julius Randle being all over him, banking home an and-one layup to give the T’Wolves a two-point lead and the eventual victory.
Towns And Edwards Hot Half
Karl-Anthony Towns went on a hot streak in the first half with 11 points, shooting 4 of 6 from the field and 2 of 3 from the three-point line.
Anthony Edwards followed with 16 points while shooting 6 of 12 from the field. However, he struggled from deep, as he shot 1 of 6 from deep in the first two quarters.
Knicks’ Hot Third Quarter
Evan Fournier put on a clinic for the Knicks, racking up 13 points at the end of the first half despite trailing.
New York turned things around in the third quarter. After just a 6-point first half, Julius Randle scored 10 points in the third quarter, helping the Knicks take the lead over Minnesota headed into the fourth.
Fournier continued his hot streak in the third quarter with another 13 points. The duo’s combined 23 third-quarter points gave the Knicks a 91-86 lead.
As a whole, the Knicks scored 40 points in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves fought back with 35 points of their own to keep the game close.
Timberwolves Comeback
The Timberwolves tightened up on defense to help come back from the five-point deficit, only allowing 19 fourth-quarter points from the Knicks while scoring 26 points of their own..
Late in the stretch, Minnesota was regularly at the free-throw line and made the majority of their foul shots (29-38 for the game). They also took advantage of the Knicks’ 18 total turnovers, including a few critical turnovers lat in the game to secure the win.
The Turnover Battle
The Timberwolves finished the first half with 4 turnovers. However, the Knicks had more than triple that number of turnovers at the end of the half with 13.
On average, the Knicks put up 13 turnovers a game; they matched that in a single half on Tuesday.
