Karl-Anthony Towns unsure how Wolves fans will react to Target Center return

We are just over two days away from Towns' return to Minneapolis.

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) watches his three point shot against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns will make his long-awaited return to Target Center on Thursday night. It'll be his first game in Minneapolis since the Timberwolves shocked the NBA and dealt him to New York right before training camps began.

Towns spent nine seasons in Minnesota before getting traded to the Knicks in exchange for a package built around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. He's had an impressive start to the season in New York, averaging 24.8 points, a league-leading 13.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 52.6/43.9/84.5 shooting splits.

The 14-11 Wolves are hosting KAT and the 16-10 Knicks on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. in a game that will be nationally televised on TNT. They faced off in the preseason, but that game was in New York. This will be Towns' first time back in the city where he spent nearly a decade, and he isn't totally sure how he'll be received.

"I don’t know (how they will embrace me). But I know that every single day that I put on that Timberwolves jersey I gave the absolute best of me even when I wasn’t 100 percent," Towns told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "I gave them all of me mentally, physically, spiritually. I was there nine years, so I go there with a lot of pride and joy for the memories that I have."

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Towns became one of the most accomplished players in franchise history during his run with the Wolves. It all culminated with a deep playoff run to the Western Conference Finals last season.

"I know the last time I was there, I looked myself in the mirror and I knew I gave the state, the city, the organization over there everything I could possibly give and even found myself giving more than I thought I had," said Towns. "So I was proud of the man that I presented over there in a Timberwolves jersey. You never know how the fans will respond. But I know for me, my household, I know what I gave that organization, and I am happy and proud for what I was able to do."

It should be an interesting and emotional night for Towns and Wolves fans. Once the game begins, it'll be a fascinating matchup between two revamped contenders, with Rudy Gobert battling KAT down low and Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson going at it on the perimeter.

The Timberwolves will play the Knicks on the road on Jan. 17, but Thursday night will be the first and only meeting between the two teams at Target Center this season.