Timberwolves thrash Knicks, with Anthony Edwards scoring 36 and Karl-Anthony Towns sitting out

NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns came into Friday’s Timberwolves-Knicks matchup as a game-time decision because of an injured thumb. Less than an hour before tipoff, word came from the Knicks that Towns was out, that he would miss the final matchup between his old team and his current team this season.

Given that Towns contributed in a major way to a beatdown of the Wolves in Minnesota, his old team certainly didn’t mind he watched this one from the sidelines.

“The way he kicked our [butt] last time, I was glad we didn’t have to play against him,” coach Chris Finch said.

The Wolves turned Towns’ absence into a 116-99 victory over the Knicks. Anthony Edwards had a bad start to the night — he was 1-for-8 in the first quarter — but he played just about a perfect game after that. He finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. He closed with a masterful fourth quarter in which he had 11 points on just three shots and added two assists. That turned a three-point game entering the quarter into a comfortable victory. He added to his highlight reel a two-handed dunk over New York’s Precious Achiuwa while Achiuwa fouled him.

“Y’all know, man. I work,” Edwards said. “So even when I’m missing I think it’s supposed to go in. When I missed my last one, I’m like, ‘It was supposed to go in, so this one is going to go in.’ That’s just how I approach life. I’m not really trippin’.”

There was a lot going on in this game, on and off the court, for the Wolves and many of their players. First was Edwards’ big night, as he took advantage of the Knicks throwing fewer double-teams at him.

“We really need him to stay aggressive and make all the right plays, and I thought it was really, really good tonight,” Finch said.

Second, the Wolves played one of their best offensive games of the season, even as they were missing one of their best offensive weapons of late in Donte DiVincenzo, who missed the game because of a sprain of his left great toe.

Mike Conley (13 points) re-entered the starting lineup, and DiVincenzo’s absence meant rookie Rob Dillingham got some playing time after recovering from multiple ankle injuries. Dillingham had a strong first shift in the second quarter and finished the game with nine points and three assists.

“He fire. Everybody know it,” Edwards said of Dillingham, the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft. “The world know it. It just takes time. It’s going to happen. He’s going to start playing more and more and more. He just got back healthy. We been missing him the last couple weeks. He just got back out there and showed why he should be playing.”

Even though Towns and DiVincenzo missed the game, Friday was still emotional for Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Randle was playing in Madison Square Garden for the first time since the trade (he missed the teams’ preseason matchup in New York).

Randle joked that he wasn’t sure how to maneuver around the visitor’s locker room and that the showers in there took longer to get hot water going than those in the home locker room.

“Must be a thing I didn’t know about,” Randle said.

Randle took just six shots and had just eight points, but he set up teammates with six assists and contributed to the Wolves’ good offensive night by being more of a facilitator.

“This is a place that’ll always be like a home to me,” Randle said. “With my family, so many great people and friends I have here. I enjoyed every second that I played in Madison Square Garden.”

BOXSCORE: Wolves 116, New York 99

Reid also had an emotional trip home. Several Wolves players showed up Thursday night as Reid’s high school in New Jersey retired his number, and then Reid scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He was 6-for-6 from three-point range. Randle assisted on two of those threes.

“It’s definitely an honor, and it just shows how much work that I put in,” Reid said of the Thursday ceremony. “The journey still continues, but that was a big part of my journey, and being able to play here tonight and play the way I did, and get the win, another blessing for me.”

Reid said he hoped he would carry that over into Saturday night, when the Wolves play NBA-leading Cleveland in Target Center.

“Everybody was moving the ball, excited to see the next guy either make a play, shoot the ball, whatever the case may be,” Reid said. “I think everybody was just on the same page tonight. So that’s something that we can carry over and continue.”

Finch had no update on how long DiVincenzo will be out.

“It’s a tough one for us,” Finch said. “He had finally settled in. He looked great, he was playing amazing, doing everything too for us.”

Over his past 15 games, DiVincenzo was shooting 44% from three-point range and was averaging 15.5 points per game.