Karl-Anthony Towns gets a standing ovation in return for Target Center

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Karl-Anthony Towns on return: ‘It wasn’t just another game’

Karl-Anthony Towns spoke from the Knicks’ locker room after 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 133-107 win over the Timberwolves in his return to Minnesota at Target Center on Thursday night.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Karl-Anthony Towns returned to Target Center Thursday night for the first time since being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the reception was nothing but love.

Towns took the Target Center floor about an hour before tip-off for pregame warmups and was met with a standing ovation from the early-arriving fans. Towns’ father, Karl Towns, and longtime Knicks fan Spike Lee sat courtside for the game.

Towns spent several minutes taking pictures with fans, signing autographs and getting handshakes and hugs from former teammates on the Timberwolves’ bench, including Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. Towns couldn’t stop smiling when he was shot up.

Karl-Anthony Towns gets a standing ovation in return for Target Center

The Minnesota Timberwolves welcomed Karl-Anthony Towns back with a video tribute, and he received a standing ovation from fans Thursday night in his first trip back to Target Center after being traded to the New York Knicks just before training camp.

Pregame tribute

The Timberwolves welcomed Towns back with a tribute video before he was announced as the final Knicks starter, and the Target Center crowd gave him a standing ovation. Towns didn’t want to leave Minnesota and never asked to be traded, but the NBA is a business.

Why is it important: Towns was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015 and spent his first nine seasons with the Timberwolves. He helped lead Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in two decades last season. Just before the start of training camp, Tim Connelly dealt Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

It would have been difficult to keep the trio of Towns, Gobert and Edwards together financially along with other key parts of the Timberwolves’ roster.

Chris Finch has jokes for Towns

He said what? Towns was known to get into early foul trouble during his tenure with the Timberwolves. Chris Finch was asked at his pregame media availability if the strategy on Thursday was to do just that.

“Well, KAT has usually done a pretty good job of getting himself in foul trouble, and I told him that,” Finch said.

Knicks crush Timberwolves 133-107 behind KAT

How it happened: The Knicks outscored the Timberwolves 41-18 in the second quarter, led 73-51 at halftime and never looked back to dominate the Timberwolves, 133-107

Towns had 32 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and two steals in his return to Minnesota. The Timberwolves fall to 14-12 on the season.

“We can’t give you all the credit. It hits like any other game we win. Personally, though, this game wasn’t just another game, and if anybody told you otherwise, that’s a lie,” Towns said.

‘I’m an avid Timberwolves fan now’

What we know: Speaking to reporters after Thursday morning’s shootaround, Towns knew full well what the emotion of the night would be. He slept in his Twin Cities home Wednesday night and said it was strange having to fly into Minneapolis and walk into the visitors’ locker room.

He bears no ill will toward the Timberwolves and knows the NBA has a business side.

“I keep in very close contact with them, yeah. I see that, I’m an avid Timberwolves fan now, so I watch a lot of the games when I get a chance. They’re still my brothers, they’re still my guys,” Towns said. “Just because the deal happened doesn’t mean I lost love for them. My love for them will always be there.”

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