3rd Quarter Report
The Timberwolves are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Knicks 104-93.
The Timberwolves came into the game with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Minnesota Timberwolves @ New York Knicks
Current Records: Minnesota 21-19, New York 27-15
How To Watch
- When: Friday, January 17, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden — New York, New York
- TV: FanDuel SN – North
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $201.00
What to Know
The Knicks and the Timberwolves are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but not for long. The New York Knicks will be playing at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will be strutting in after a win while the Timberwolves will be stumbling in from a defeat.
On Wednesday, the Knicks needed a bit of extra time to put away the 76ers. They snuck past Philadelphia with a 125-119 victory.
Jalen Brunson was his usual excellent self, going 14 for 22 en route to 38 points plus five rebounds and two steals. The matchup was his fourth in a row with at least 30 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Hart, who dropped a triple-double on ten points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists.
The Knicks smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That’s a new trend for them: they were averaging 9.3 offensive rebounds per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they’ve averaged 12.6.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored the Timberwolves last Wednesday, but the final result did not. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 116-115 to the Warriors. Minnesota hasn’t had much luck with Golden State recently, as the team’s come up short the last two times they’ve met.
The losing side was boosted by Donte DiVincenzo, who almost dropped a double-double on 28 points and nine assists. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in offensive rebounds (four).
New York’s win bumped their record up to 27-15. As for Minnesota, their loss dropped their record down to 21-19.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Knicks have been crazy accurate this season, having made 49.7% of their field goals per game (they’re ranked third in field goal percentage overall). It’s a different story for the Timberwolves, though, as they’ve only made 45.9% of theirs this season. Given the Knicks’ sizable advantage in that area, the Timberwolves will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Knicks took their victory against the Timberwolves in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 133-107. In that game, the Knicks amassed a halftime lead of 73-51, an impressive feat they’ll look to repeat on Friday.
Odds
New York is a 4.5-point favorite against Minnesota, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Knicks as a 3.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 218.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
New York and Minnesota both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Dec 19, 2024 – New York 133 vs. Minnesota 107
- Jan 01, 2024 – New York 112 vs. Minnesota 106
- Nov 20, 2023 – Minnesota 117 vs. New York 100
- Mar 20, 2023 – Minnesota 140 vs. New York 134
- Nov 07, 2022 – New York 120 vs. Minnesota 107
- Jan 18, 2022 – Minnesota 112 vs. New York 110
- Dec 28, 2021 – New York 96 vs. Minnesota 88
- Mar 31, 2021 – Minnesota 102 vs. New York 101
- Feb 21, 2021 – New York 103 vs. Minnesota 99
- Mar 10, 2019 – Minnesota 103 vs. New York 92
