Fans will return on Tuesday, in limited numbers, in limited numbers, two nights after the Knicks barely avoided a catastrophic loss to the league’s weakest team in their final game in front of an empty arena.
The Knicks took a 21-point lead in the second half, but eventually gave Tom Thibodeau the gift of a win in his first game against the Timberwolves as he was sacked by Minnesota in 2019. homeland with four games.
‘We strive to become a team of 48 minutes. We have a long way to go, and hopefully we will learn from this, ‘said Thibodeau. ‘They came up to us quickly, but I like the fact that we kept fighting and found a way to win the game.
‘Ultimately, it’s important to find a way to win. Whatever we have to do to win the match, that’s what we want to focus on. ”
In his final game before All-Star Reserves were named Tuesday, Julius Randle finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds as the Knicks improved to 15-16 before their game that night against Golden State.
“Absolutely, one of the things I said afterwards was really proud of our team,” Randle said. ‘Many times when you lose such an advantage and shift the momentum in the opposite way, it’s easy to crumble and run in and let the game go. We just kept fighting, kept fighting and stopped and made plays when we needed them. I’m proud of our team for that.
“It’s clearly not how we wanted to do it in the end, but we did it and that’s all that matters.”
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 27 points, Ricky Rubio had 18 and rookie Anthony Edwards finished with 12 for the Timberwolves (7-24). According to ESPN, the league’s weakest team sacked coach Ryan Saunders – Thibodeau’s replacement – after the game.
Finnish assistant coach Chris Finch has been named the new Minnesota head coach, according to several reports.
The Jersey Towns are playing their seventh game after missing four weeks after a positive COVID Test in January. His mother, Jacqueline, and six other family members died of the virus last year.
“He’s a great player. He’s been through a lot of adversity, and it’s clear that you, as a person and his family, first care about his family – his father, sister, ” Thibodeau said. “When it comes to basketball, he’s one of the best players in the league when he’s healthy. So it’s been a bit of a shame in terms of his injuries over the last few years, but he’s a tremendous talent. ”
The Knicks have been on three days off since Wednesday’s ugly loss in Orlando due to the postponement Saturday against San Antonio after several Spurs tested positive for COVID-19.
They led 86-65 late in the third quarter, but Minnesota opened the fourth on a 20-6 run and closed within two on a 3-point lead by Towns with barely five minutes left.
A bucket of Towns led the T’Wolves by 2:48, but Randle sank two free throws and Alec Burks (13 points) added four more from the line in the final seconds.
Taj Gibson, in the match for the elaborate starter Nerlens Noel, also made an important stop against Towns in the last minute to close the nail-biter for Thibodeau.
“I think we try to win every game. I’m very glad we got this one for Coach Thibs, but we have to keep it rolling, ‘said RJ Barrett, whose 21 points included a row formation with one to five left. “It’s big. We had adversity, they came back, and we stayed strong and were able to win.
“Not the way you want it to go down, but very happy with the victory.”