New York Knicks lose to the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-104: Kolek’s statement game

The New York Knicks ran out of steam against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 115-104. The Knicks missed Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, but put up a competitive effort regardless.

Minnesota struggled to keep a lead early, as Karl-Anthony Towns quickly got to scoring and never stopped. But when KAT rested and New York’s depleted second unit entered, the Wolves capitalized. Minnesota dashed out to a sixteen-point lead before the starters returned to cut into it.

The second half went similarly to the first. New York kept pace with Wolves despite an explosion from Anthony Edwards. Then the second units entered, and Minnesota’s lead ballooned. Tyler Kolek stepped up to nearly spark a comeback, but Julius Randle’s huge fourth quarter shut the door.

With Towns getting his offense on track and Tyler Kolek making a statement, I’m not mad at this loss. Let’s take a look at the game through the standout performers.

The Knicks desperately needed offense, and Karl-Anthony Towns tried to carry the team himself. His downhill attack forced Minnesota to hack or give up points. Minnesota only made big runs when KAT sat. Towns rolled to 40 points, making shots at every level.

But this wasn’t a perfect performance for KAT. His turnovers came from offensive fouls that forced him into foul trouble throughout most of the night. That limited his ability to defend effectively, because the Knicks could hardly afford to rest him.

I thought Tyler Kolek showed nerves early in the first start of his career. But he settled in and became an impact player across the board. Jalen Brunson’s footwork has rubbed off on the Knicks’ youngest point guard, whose best baskets came off clever use of his pivot foot.

The sophomore has always shone as a playmaker, so that’s nothing new. But he also cleaned up after the bigs cleared space, grabbing 11 rebounds to complete a double-double. Kolek’s pesky defense is becoming a staple as well.

There’s a case for calling Kolek the star of the night, thanks to his surprising impact filling in for the Captain.

This is as “Jekyll and Hyde” a performance as Josh Hart can provide. Hart was a playmaking engine for the offense, even while his jumper wouldn’t fall. He matched Minnesota’s physicality to grab 15 rebounds.

But Hart repeatedly lost his composure, culminating in a scuffle with Rudy Gobert that cost him two free throws and a possession. He made awful turnovers and blamed the refs too often.

I expected Mikal Bridges to step up in this matchup, and he did make a handful of clutch baskets throughout the night. But Bridges couldn’t hit threes and failed to make an assist.

Bridges had a tough night, guarding Anthony Edwards admirably but losing the battle. But I don’t think anyone could stop Edwards as well as he played this time.

Thanks to multiple starters out, Mitchell Robinson got the opportunity to start. But Robinson’s clash with Rudy Gobert was disappointing. Mitch grabbed ample rebounds and cleared space for others on the defensive glass. But Gobert kept the Block Ness Monster from taking over any stretches of the action.

Robinson’s movement on defense has looked better for a few weeks now. He blocked some shots and disrupted passes into the post. But we’ve seen better from the big man.

The Knicks needed help off the bench, and Jordan Clarkson was the only sub to score in the first half. Clarkson continued his hot shooting from deep, but unfortunately, didn’t get anything going to the basket.

While JC didn’t have a strong or efficient performance, he made timely threes, which is enough to make him the Knicks’ best bench player tonight.

Maybe I’m too optimistic, but this loss went about as well as I could ask for. Tyler Kolek’s emergence just got an exclamation point in a near triple-double. Karl-Anthony Towns re-established his scoring threat after vanishing against Miami. Mo Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, and Pacome Dadiet were part of the rotation in a competitive game against a quality opponent.

It’s a loss, and that’s always going to hurt. But I’m happy with the positives that emerged tonight. I’m confident the Knicks would have won at full strength. So, I’m okay with this loss, which gave some key players a break.

Next up is a Christmas battle with the Cavs. Happy holidays, Knicks’ fam!