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Jamal Collier, ESPN
MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns arrived at Target Center on Thursday morning before the rest of his New York Knicks teammates. He said he wanted to take some time for himself and reminisce over his first nine seasons in Minnesota.
Being back in the city where he was drafted gave Towns a “warm feeling,” but he said that still didn’t mask how strange it was for him to be entering the arena he once called home as a visiting player for the first time.
“Personally, this game wasn’t just another game,” Towns said. “And if anyone told you otherwise, that’s a lie.”
In his first game back in Minnesota, Towns excelled. He scored 32 points, knocking down 10 of his 12 shots, and added 20 rebounds to lead New York to a 133-107 blowout victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Towns and the Knicks outscored the Wolves 41-18 in the second quarter, giving New York a 22-point halftime lead it would never relinquish. Mikal Bridges scored 29 points, and Jalen Brunson had 14 points with seven assists.
But the focus of the night was on Towns. Even in defeat, his former Wolves teammate, Anthony Edwards, acknowledged he was happy for him.
“Get traded, come back and beat your team by 30 — I mean, that’s everything you dream of,” Edwards said. “I’m mad we lost, but on the inside, I’m super happy for him. That’s my dog.”
The Wolves and Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade the weekend before the start of training camp, sending Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The trade was a shock for Towns, who had spent his career in Minnesota, and especially with the Wolves fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference finals.
For his return Thursday night, the Wolves played a video tribute for Towns during pregame introductions highlighting his playing career and then a second video midway through the first quarter, highlighting Towns’ work in the community.
“Just a lot of memories, moments,” Towns said. “I’ve been honored to play with so many amazing guys and basketball players, and to be able to see them go through their own journeys and their lives and just to have a moment in their lives professionally, it’s an honor. I called Minnesota home, a place that welcomed me with open arms and gave me, my family, especially my mother, some of the best memories of my life.”
Towns, who was selected No. 1 by the Wolves in the 2015 NBA draft, still shares the same connection to his Wolves teammates. He said Edwards was like a brother and said he still keeps in contact with his former teammates.
“I’m an avid Timberwolves fan, so I watch a lot of the games when I get a chance,” Towns said before Thursday’s game. “They’re still my brothers. They’re still my guys. Just because a trade happened, doesn’t mean I lost love for them. The brotherhood is always going to be there.”
Towns spent the night in his home in Minnesota before the game. He said he considered multiple times before tipoff how strange it would be to come through the visitors tunnel for the first time.
Towns rattled some of his most impactful memories in a Wolves jersey — getting to play with Kevin Garnett during his rookie season, watching Derrick Rose drop 50 points in 2018 and Minnesota’s victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the 2024 playoffs, which sent the Wolves to the conference finals for only the second time in franchise history.
When Towns was asked whether he missed Minnesota, he didn’t skip a beat.
“Of course,” he said emphatically. “I was here nine years. That’s a long time I had called this place home.”
On the court, Towns has settled into a groove with his new squad, averaging 24.8 points and a league-leading 13.9 rebounds on 53% shooting, matching a career high, while shooting 44% from 3, which would set a career-high shooting from deep.
At 17-10, the Knicks have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Wolves had found their footing after a slow start, winning six of their past seven games before Thursday’s disappointment.
“They kicked our ass in every department,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said afterward.
The two teams played a preseason game in New York a few weeks after the trade, but Towns said that wouldn’t make Thursday’s game any easier emotionally. He repeated that he wanted to savor the moment and appreciate the memories he built in Minnesota.
“I’ve been through a lot, especially in a T-Wolves jersey,” Towns said. “I’m trying to appreciate these moments that don’t come around ever or often. So I just want to be in place of life where I look at things from a glass half full. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be back home and have so many great memories at and to be able to play here against guys I’ve played with.”