The first quarter belonged to Julius Randle.
The second quarter belonged to Donte DiVincenzo.
But Wednesday night belonged to the Knicks, who rode a second-half explosion to a 137-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Randle and DiVincenzo’s latest returns to Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks (5-3) scored 83 of their season-high 137 points in the second half and outscored Minnesota by 27 points after halftime.
It was more than enough to overcome a game-high 32 points from Randle and 21 points from DiVincenzo, whom the Knicks traded to Minnesota in the October 2024 blockbuster to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns.
“The main thing we talked about at halftime is just trying to be the aggressor and not play on your back heel,” head coach Mike Brown said. “And I thought our guys did a good job of flipping that switch.”
The Knicks trailed by four points after the first half, but they unleashed a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter and never looked back.
Jalen Brunson capped that run with a 3-pointer to give the Knicks a 76-67 lead. Brunson scored 12 points in the third quarter and finished with 23, including 16 in the second half.
OG Anunony led the Knicks with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 18 points after halftime.
And Towns, who was playing through an illness, added 15 points with 10 rebounds and four assists.
“This was a great win for us,” Towns said. “We found a way to continue to win as a team. Tonight was a great night for all of us to focus on the goal at hand and, in the end, get the win.”
Indeed, the Knicks received contributions from up and down their roster.
Mitchell Robinson corralled nine offensive rebounds in only 16 minutes, helping the Knicks score 31 second-chance points.
Miles “Deuce” McBride scored 14 points with three rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes off the bench and posted a point differential of +26, the best of any player.
And Josh Hart totaled 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers.
The Knicks shot 55-of-102 (53.9%) from the field and 19-of-42 (45.2%) from 3-point range.
“Deuce was aggressive the right way,” Brown said. “He played under control. If they tried to pick up full court, he drove it by them. He touched the paint. He played off the two and he sprayed it. And guys got great looks when he got us into our offense. Josh was also a big catalyst in terms of trying to get us to push the pace and play the right way.”
Randle spent five seasons with the Knicks from 2019-24 and was instrumental in the franchise’s turnaround, while DiVincenzo became a fan favorite during his lone season with the team in 2023-24.
Wednesday marked the second regular-season meeting between the Knicks and Timberwolves at the Garden since that trade 13 months ago.
Randle played in last season’s game — a 116-99 win by the Wolves — but DiVincenzo and Towns both missed it due to injury. DiVincenzo had, however, played a pair of preseason games at MSG with the Wolves.
In Wednesday’s game, Randle made himself right at home early on.
On the Wolves’ opening possession, Randle drilled a 3-pointer on an assist from DiVincenzo. Less than two minutes later, Randle made another 3-pointer, and he finished the first quarter with 11 points.
DiVincenzo took over in the second quarter, making four 3-pointers in the period, including a pair over Brunson and another over Hart, both of whom he played with at Villanova.
In the waning seconds of the first half, DiVincenzo notched a steal and found Randle for an alley-oop lay-up, giving Minnesota a 58-54 lead at the break.
But the Knicks dominated the second half, outscoring Minnesota 40-28 in the third quarter and 43-28 in the fourth.
“I’ve got to give our guys a lot of credit: 55 field-goals made, 32 assists, so the ball is moving,” Brown said. “The ball is humming. And that was part of the success we had in the second half. Our quick decisions, the floor was spaced the right way, and we just kept trying to share the ball and find an open teammate.”
The Timberwolves got 15 points in 29 minutes from Anthony Edwards, who beat his expected timeline for a strained hamstring to return for Wednesday’s game.
Randle shot 12-of-21 from the field, while DiVincenzo went 5-of-11 on 3-pointers.
But that wasn’t enough to top the Knicks, who have now won three games in a row, all since returning from last week’s 0-3 road trip. They are 5-0 at the Garden, marking their best start at home since 2012.
“We’re growing,” said Brunson, who had seven rebounds and 10 assists. “We’re learning. Obviously, playing at home is a big factor. When we get back on the road, we have to focus up even harder than we do at home. Find a way to win. The energy at home is great. Playing in front of these fans is awesome. We’ve got to continue to improve.”
The Knicks’ season-long seven-game homestand continues Sunday night, when they host the Nets (1-7) in the first interborough battle of the season.
