Timberwolves vs Knicks: Minnesota rolls to 122-104 preseason win
Key takeaways
- The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 122-104 at Madison Square Garden on October 12, 2026.
- Anthony Edwards scored 26 points with five three-pointers, and Jaden McDaniels added 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
- The Knicks fell to 0-3 in the preseason, their third straight loss.
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 122-104 on Monday night. The NBA preseason game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York. Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 26 points.
It was the Knicks' third straight preseason loss. All three have come by double digits. Minnesota moved to 3-1 in the preseason with the win.
What happened
Minnesota took control early and never let go. The Wolves won the first quarter 30-25 and the second 32-25, per Sportradar.
The Knicks pushed back in the third. Minnesota closed the game 32-24 in the fourth.
The biggest gap was the shooting. Minnesota shot 54 percent from the field. From three-point range, the Wolves shot 53 percent (18-of-34), per ESPN box-score data on SportsWire Live.
New York shot 45 percent overall and only 25 percent from deep (8-of-32). Minnesota also won the rebound battle 39-28.
Edwards starred for the visitors. He played 25 minutes and made five three-pointers, per Sportsnet. McDaniels was right behind him with 22 points.
He shot 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. The two combined to make more threes than the entire Knicks team.
New point guard LaMelo Ball added 10 points and seven assists for Minnesota. His pairing with Edwards looked smooth in limited minutes, NBC Sports noted.
For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson led with 20 points in 22 minutes. OG Anunoby scored 15. Karl-Anthony Towns faced his old team on Monday.
The former Timberwolf now plays for New York. He finished with 11 points in 22 minutes. Every Knicks starter ended the game with a negative plus-minus rating.
Minnesota rested two rotation players. Jonathan Kuminga and TJ Shannon sat out for rest, per Canis Hoopus. Cody Williams started in Kuminga's place and hit two three-pointers.
Why it matters
Preseason results do not count in the standings. But shooting patterns do matter. Minnesota made 18 threes at a 53 percent clip.
New York made eight at 25 percent. That is a wide gap in a league built on long-range shots.
The Knicks' 0-3 record is also a trend worth watching. Three straight losses suggest the team is still finding its rhythm. New York has a mostly new rotation this fall.
The Knicks fell 120-97 to the 76ers. They then lost 111-109 to the Wizards.
Both results appear on Sports Illustrated's schedule page. Coach and fans will want cleaner basketball before the real season starts.
For Minnesota, the backcourt looks promising. Ball, the new playmaker, moved the ball well next to Edwards. The Wolves are 3-1 with two games left in the preseason.
Their young starters are getting real minutes and building habits. Minnesota also hit 18 fast-break points to New York's five, showing better pace in transition. The win came on the road against the defending champs, which never hurts in October.
The Towns subplot added feeling to the night. He spent the best years of his career with the Timberwolves before joining the Knicks. Monday was another reminder of how both teams have changed since the trade.
What happens next
The Knicks get no rest. They play in Toronto against the Raptors on Tuesday night. That is the second game of a back-to-back.
Starters may play limited minutes, per NBC Sports.
The Timberwolves travel home next. They host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, October 14. Then they visit the Chicago Bulls on Friday before the regular season opens. Minnesota starts the real season in Miami on October 21.
The Knicks still have two preseason games left to fix their shooting. They host Toronto on Thursday, October 15. The real season tips off against Philadelphia on October 20. Both teams will use the final preseason games to lock in their rotations.
It was a busy night across American sports. The NFL's Monday night clash delivered late drama. The Trail Blazers also faced London opposition in NBA preseason play.
The final score was 122-104. Minnesota shot the lights out. New York goes back to work with questions to answer before opening night.
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