Julius Randle, Knicks knock off West-leading Timberwolves in OG Anunoby’s strong debut
NY Post
OG Anunoby fully expects to be a strong fit with the Knicks and within Tom Thibodeau’s system, and the two-way standout showed precisely why in an active debut following Saturday’s trade from the Raptors.
Anunoby posted 17 points and finished a game-high plus-19 in 35 minutes before fouling out late in the fourth quarter as the revamped Knicks rang in 2024 by building a 22-point lead before hanging on for a 112-106 victory over the West-leading Timberwolves at the Garden on Monday to halt their three-game losing skid.
“We won the game and were up a lot of the game, so it felt good,” said Anunoby, who received a standing ovation when he fouled out in the fourth. “Just read and react, that was everything for me, really.
“New terminology, new everything. Just trying to figure out everything as fast as I can.”
Julius Randle led the Knicks (18-15) with 39 points and Jalen Brunson had 16 with a career-high 14 assists, while Anthony Edwards scored 35 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 for Minnesota (24-8).
The 26-year-old Anunoby, wearing No. 8, also showed the MSG faithful why he is considered one of the better “3-and-D” players in the league, after leading the NBA in steals last season and connecting on 37.5 percent of his career 3-point attempts.
The confetti has stopped falling inside the Superdome in New Orleans, and Saquon Barkley and the Eagles are the newly crowned Super Bowl champions. Thus ends a 2024 NFL season that the Giants wish was a bad dream.
With the NBA at its break, The Post’s hoops writers examine the key questions from the first half and forecast the rest of the season (and offseason). Here’s a look:
Doug Nussmeier hasn’t yet considered a future scenario in which he is coaching Super Bowl 2025 MVP Jalen Hurts between possessions while simultaneously stealing glances at the field to make sure that Hurts’ counterpart is doing everything that he was taught.
MONTREAL — The only guarantee in this 4 Nations Face-off is the hostile atmosphere that will follow Team USA.
TAMPA — When current rotation odd man out Marcus Stroman defiantly states he is a starter 11 times in 10 minutes after arriving for workouts later than all of his pitching Yankees teammates, well, that should just be catnip for your friendly columnist here at this bold tabloid.
The city of Philadelphia rightly showered Saquon Barkley with plenty of brotherly love on Friday, and the former Giants star gave it back to Eagles fans and staffers throughout their championship parade and celebration.
SAN FRANCISCO – A formality was made official Friday night when Carmelo Anthony, arguably the greatest Knick since Patrick Ewing, was named a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame.
MONTREAL — There was an absence of the pomp and circumstance that accompanied Wednesday’s Canada-Sweden opener of this 4 Nations Face-Off.
TAMPA — Max Fried and Gerrit Cole are two very different pitchers on the mound but alike in their talent and drive to succeed.
These first five paragraphs will be utilized to praise the Knicks, so if you are among that faction who prefers to ignore all the good that’s transpired over the first 54 games of this season, you have my permission to proceed to paragraph six, no hard feelings, no questions asked.
The Chiefs are giving their star tight end a deadline to inform them of his future plans.
MONTREAL — For Team USA, it was a poor start and a grand Finnish.
Nothing truly will be decided nor accurately measured until the Knicks prove they can defeat the NBA’s most elite teams and advance deeper into the playoffs.