Timberwolves drain 22 3-pointers in 17-point win over the Knicks
Cameron Payne scored 18 points in the first half
In the first meeting of the year between the Knicks and Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns put up 32 points and grabbed 20 rebounds as the Knicks ran away with an easy win. This time, Towns missed the game with an injured thumb and the Timberwolves were hot from deep, resulting in a 116-99 road win for Minnesota.
The story of the game was how the Wolves dominated from behind the arc. In the first half, they hit 13-21 from 3-point land and they hit nine more shots from deep in the second half. They finished with 22 makes while shooting 55% from behind the arc. Reserve big man Naz Reid was 6-6 on 3-point attempts.
Anthony Edwards missed his first six shots of the game. He finished 12-21, including 8-13 from 3-point territory, and had a game-high 36 points. He also finished with 13 rebounds and 7 assists. And if that wasn’t enough, he spent some time defending Jalen Brunson in the second half and did a very nice job defending him.
As well as Minnesota shot the ball, they played a very good defensive game, too. They did an excellent job of rotating, not allowing the Knicks many open looks outside. And Rudy Gobert did a good job of discouraging many attempts close to the basket.
The Knicks shot well in the first half and made 10-16 3-point attempts in the opening 24 minutes. Cameron Payne was a big reason why, as he came off the bench to deliver 18 points in seven minutes, on 7-9 shooting overall, including four 3-pointers.
But it was a different story in the second half, as in the final two periods the Knicks made just 12-42 shots. The Wolves deserve a lot of credit for their defensive play.
Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points, while Payne and OG Anunoby each had 18. But they simply were not able to make up for the missing points from Towns. Centers Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa – who also played together for a few minutes – combined for just six points.
With how well Payne played in the second quarter, it was shocking how little he played on a night where the Knicks struggled for offense. He logged just 13 minutes in a game where he should have easily topped 20.
This was the Knicks’ 10th game in 17 days this month. They’ll get two days off for the first time this year before returning to action in a matinee on Martin Luther King Day on Monday, with a 3:00 p.m. tip against the Hawks.