Julius Randle steps up in 4th quarter of Timberwolves' victory over Knicks

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Dec 23, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — Even though Karl-Anthony Towns played an excellent game against his former team, another player involved in last September’s blockbuster trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks got some revenge in the fourth quarter.

Julius Randle, who had a tough first three quarters, turned it on when it mattered most. After starting the game 3 for 11 from the floor, Randle went 7for 9 in the fourth and finished the game with 25 points in a Wolves’ 115-104 victory Tuesday.

After hitting the first shot in that run, Randle flexed for the crowd even though he was just 4 for 12 on the night. Perhaps he knew an outburst was coming. He’d hit his next three shots — a few of them over Towns — to extend the Wolves’ lead to 12 halfway through the quarter.

He had help from Anthony Edwards, who was the Wolves’ main source of scoring most of the night with 38 points. Towns finished with 40.

The Knicks came into the game without multiple key players, such as Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Deuce McBride.

Towns had 31 points and 20 rebounds in his first game back to Target Center last season, and with New York shorthanded he took the scoring burden on again. Even in the third quarter when Towns picked up his fourth foul early, coach Mike Brown stuck with him because the Knicks didn’t have much more firepower behind him. He fouled out with 34.9 seconds left.

He kept the Knicks in it before Randle’s big fourth quarter.

Both teams got on the offensive glass to generate extra possessions. The Knicks are one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the league thanks to Mitchell Robinson, who finished with two points and seven rebounds. Josh Hart had 12 points and 15 rebounds and Towns had 13 rebounds.

For the Wolves, both Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid got into double digits in rebounds with 16 and 11, respectively.

The Wolves had 17 second-chance points to New York’s 25.

The Wolves made their biggest run of the first half as Towns rested through the early part of the second quarter. They opened up their lead to as much as 16 thanks to a 26-8 run. Bones Hyland came off the bench and was 3 for 6 from the 3-point range in the first half. The Wolves did a commendable job on the glass with Reid pulling down seven rebounds and Gobert grabbing 10. They had 12 second-chance points.

But when Towns returned the Knicks got back in it, thanks to his 24 first-half points and with a switch to a zone defense that stifled the Wolves’ offensive rhythm. This coincided with Gobert going to the bench for the Wolves.

The Wolves caught a break from the scheduling gods with the Knicks being down multiple key players, but they have now defeated the best team in the Western Conference (Oklahoma City) and second-beat team by record in the Eastern Conference amid a three-game win streak. A team they are 0-2 against this season, the Nuggets, awaits on Christmas Day in Denver.

After suffering an oblique strain against Milwaukee on Dec. 21, Jaden McDaniels sat out against the Knicks. The forward missed his second game of the season after playing in all 82 games a season ago. Mike Conley got the start in McDaniels’ place.

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