It's a homecoming for former Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, who is back Thursday to play against his former team for the first since being traded to the New York Knicks this offseason.
Towns was dealt to New York in return for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. That was a homecoming for Towns who is originally from New Jersey and it's been a successful start with the Knicks. They're 16-11 and in third in the East. Towns is averaging 24.8 points per game so far. That's his highest per-game average since 2020-21, which was Anthony Edwards rookie year.
It'll be a strange sight for his ex-Timberwolves teammates. Towns was in the Twin Cities for nine years after being the first overall pick in the NBA Draft by Minnesota in 2015.
The Wolves' Naz Reid talked about the reunion.
"Probably be super emotional," Reid says. "I mean he's been here for nine years, so 10 years, whatever the case may be. You know, this is the first time he's been on the other side, so I'm sure it will be, I'll be right there with him. He's a guy who's taught me the ropes, kind of helped me get to the predicament I'm in today. So, I mean, obviously we gotta compete against each other, but I mean it's still my brother at the end of the day."
Reid says he's kept in touch since the trade.
"I mean, sometimes I even hype him up on Instagram and stuff like that, just as much as possible," Reid explains. "Like I said, it's still a guy who helped me get into the position I'm in today, so it's always gonna always be love."
Game Preview
Minneapolis; Thursday, 8:30 p.m.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Timberwolves -2; over/under is 213.5
BOTTOM LINE: New York hits the road against Minnesota trying to prolong its three-game road winning streak.
The Timberwolves are 8-4 in home games. Minnesota is eighth in the Western Conference with 33.3 defensive rebounds per game led by Rudy Gobert averaging 7.6.
The Knicks have gone 8-6 away from home. New York ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with 27.7 assists per game led by Jalen Brunson averaging 7.7.
The Timberwolves are shooting 45.9% from the field this season, 0.3 percentage points lower than the 46.2% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.6 more made shots on average than the 11.6 per game the Timberwolves allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Edwards is averaging 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns is scoring 24.8 points per game with 13.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Knicks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 104.6 points, 46.2 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 9.4 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 97.4 points per game.
Knicks: 7-3, averaging 114.6 points, 42.7 rebounds, 28.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.4 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Joe Ingles: day to day (soleus).
Knicks: Ariel Hukporti: day to day (ankle), Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle).