By Chris Henderson
How it Happened: New York’s bench, led by the young backcourt duo of Frank Ntilkina and Trey Burke, brought the energy in the first half. The Wolves were ahead by as many as 16, but the duo along with Troy Williams cut the deficit to single digits to close it out. Ntilikina and Burke both started the second half with Emmanuel Mudiay sidelined due to injury, and continued to put pressure on the Wolves. After consecutive buckets from the backcourt, the Knicks were able to pull within two. The home team locked down on defense and Tim Hardaway Jr put in 19 in the third quarter alone, giving the Knicks a seven-point lead in the quarter. Minnesota, led by Karl-Anthony Towns, pulled away in the fourth and won by a final score of 108-104.
Knick of the Night:Tim Hardaway Jr. exploded for a career-high 39 points on 56% shooting overall from the floor and 6-11 from three.
Notables:Enes Kanter continues to be a double-double machine and put in 11 points and 12 rebounds. Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke both scored in double figures, scoring 12 and 13 points respectively.
Statistically Speaking: While the Knicks held the Wolves bench to 22 points, all five starters scored in double digits and finished with 86.
Looking Ahead: The Knicks begin a three-game road trip in Washington Sunday night against the Wizards. Catch all of the action on MSG Network starting at 6:00.