New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns received a warm ovation from the Target Center faithful as he took the court Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his prolific season. NBA career. Then he completely eviscerated his former team to the tune of 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists on 10-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-5 3-pointers, in the Knicks’ 133-107 victory.
With this excellent performance, Towns became the first player in NBA history to post 30+ points, 20+ rebounds and five 3-pointers while shooting over 80% from the field in a single game.
“This place means a lot to me and my family. Everyone tried to make it seem like it was just another game. I knew that wasn’t the case,” The cities said on TNT after the victory. “I didn’t want to let my emotions take over the match. I wasn’t playing for myself. I was playing for the win.”
But was there any extra motivation for Towns to put in this performance against the team that traded him? He kept his true thoughts close to the vest.
“I’m just happy I was able to play the game I had today,” he said. “I have something on my mind that I won’t say.”
Cities greeted with huge ovation by Minnesota crowd
As has become common when a former top player returns for the first time, Towns was honored before the game with a tribute video played on the Jumbotron, followed by a standing ovation and massive cheers from the Minneapolis crowd.
In nearly 600 games with the Timberwolves, Towns averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds and three assists while shooting 40 percent on more than four 3-point attempts per game. His confident proclamation of being “the greatest shooter of all time” is difficult to refute at this point in his career, as he has only improved his marksmanship as a member of the Knicks, shooting 44 % from depth on more than five attempts per game entering. Thursday evening.
In a somewhat surprising offseason move, the Timberwolves sent Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and future first-round pick in late September, just two months after Towns helped Minnesota to reach its first Western Conference. appearance in the final since 2004.
Towns himself seemed shocked by the deal, posting a simple “…” on his X feed.
Wolves star Anthony Edwards expressed his feelings on the trade during the Wolves’ pre-season media day.
“I think everyone knows (Towns) is my brother,” Edwards said. “So it really hurts, but you know, it’s a business, so I just have to deal with it.”
After finishing one game behind the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season, Minnesota struggled to find its footing early on. A recent hot streak before Thursday’s loss puts them at 14-12, among a quagmire of Play-In teams in the West. Things have been going much better for Towns and the Knicks, who improved to 17-10 with the win at Minnesota and entered Thursday with the second-best offensive rating in the league.
