Karl-Anthony Towns had a monster effort, but the New York Knicks fell short against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-104, at Target Center on Tuesday.
With Jalen Brunson sitting out due to an ankle injury, Towns picked up the cudgels for the Knicks, finishing with a double-double of 40 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 14-of-24 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Knicks coach Mike Brown touted Towns' impressive performance, but he also gave an honest assessment of the talented center.
“With KAT, obviously, he can score. He had 40 tonight. I said it before, he's a walking double-double. He just has to continue to try not pick up cheap fouls,” said Brown in the postgame conference.
“Now we have to sit him for an X amount of minutes when he needs to be on the floor. So, you know, the 40 and 13, it doesn't surprise me at all because he's more than capable. But if you're gonna be a great player, we expect more from him. I'm sure he does too.”
Mike Brown: "KAT obviously can score…He just has to continue to try to not pick up cheap fouls…now we have to sit him when he needs to be on the floor…40 & 13, doesn't surprise me at all…But if you're gonna be a great player, we expect more from him. I'm sure he does too" pic.twitter.com/of58l7wqIU
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 24, 2025
It will be interesting to see how KAT will respond to Brown's challenge. Some might argue that Brown was too demanding, considering Towns already did the heavy lifting against the Timberwolves.
The Knicks dropped to 20-9, including 6-7 on the road.
It was Towns' second return to Target Center since the Timberwolves traded him to the Knicks in 2024. He lost to Minnesota for the first time in four meetings.
Tyler Kolek also stepped up for New York, tallying 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
The Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day.
