Second half dooms Wolves in loss to Knicks: 5 things that stood out

The Timberwolves' defense and rebounding left a lot to be desired on Wednesday at MSG.

Nov 5, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) passes the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and guard Anthony Edwards (5) and forward Julius Randle (30) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Defense and rebounding were the primary culprits in an ugly second half for the Timberwolves, who fell 137-114 to the Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Wolves (4-4) raced out to a quick 13-4 start and led 58-54 at halftime, but the second half belonged to the home team. The Knicks (5-3) won the final two quarters by a combined 83-56 score, largely because Minnesota struggled to get any stops or finish defensive possessions with a rebound. New York gained some separation midway through the third quarter, and the visitors never were able to mount a run to get back into the game. Instead, the lead snowballed.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 25 points, Jalen Brunson added 23 with 7 rebounds and 10 assists, and four other players scored in double figures for New York. For the Wolves, Julius Randle continued his incredible start to the season with 32 points against his former team, but Anthony Edwards was quiet in his return to action.

Here are five things that stood out from a Timberwolves perspective.

Offensive rebounds were killer

Both teams shot the ball well in this game. The Knicks were obviously hot, shooting 54 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three. But the Wolves shot 48 percent from the field, matched the Knicks with 19 made threes, and even got to the free throw line more often. Turnovers were fairly close, too (14 for NYK, 17 for MIN).

The big difference in this 23-point game came on the glass. The Knicks grabbed 50 rebounds. The Timberwolves finished with 31. New York had nearly a 50 percent offensive rebound rate, with 21 O-boards to Minnesota's 22 defensive rebounds. That simply creates so many extra shot attempts; the Knicks finished with 102 of them to the Wolves' 83.

Every time it looked like the Wolves might cut into the deficit a bit in the second half, the Knicks had an offensive rebound that led to a deflating bucket, often from long range. New York's backup center, Mitchell Robinson, played just 16 minutes and grabbed nine offensive boards in that time. OG Anunoby added five of them, and Karl-Anthony Towns had three. It was a pretty pathetic display of rebounding on the defensive end of the floor for Chris Finch's team.

Non-Rudy defense is a problem

Rudy Gobert wasn't great in this game. He scored 7 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and didn't block a shot. But one of the Wolves' most glaring issues right now is that they simply can't function on defense when Gobert is off the floor. They lost Rudy's 28 minutes by eight points and lost the 20 minutes he sat by 15. It's been an issue all year. Podcaster Dane Moore posted these jarring numbers at some point in the third quarter:

The Wolves have a defensive rating of 142.2 when Rudy Gobert has been off the floor this season.

107.2 when Gobert has been on the floor.

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) November 6, 2025

The reality is that the Wolves don't have a backup center in their rotation. Randle and Naz Reid are both good players, but they're power forwards who combined for 11 rebounds in this game. The non-Rudy minutes are such an issue on defense right now that you wonder if Finch might have to give 19-year-old rookie Joan Beringer a shot at rotation minutes at some point.

Ant quiet in return

Edwards was back in action on Wednesday after missing essentially the last five games due to a hamstring strain. He looked like a guy who has some rust to shake off after nine days off. Edwards scored just 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, with five assists and three turnovers. He was a team-worst minus-25 in 29 minutes. Look for Ant to bounce back on Friday night against a weaker Jazz team.

Randle stays hot

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While Edwards was struggling, Randle certainly was not. His remarkable start to the season continued in a 32-point outing where he made 12 of his 21 shot attempts. Randle was part of the defense and rebounding problem, grabbing just five boards in 38 minutes, but his scoring was the main thing the Wolves had going on the offensive end of the floor. He's playing like an All-Star so far this year.

DiVincenzo lets it fly

The Wolves' two main bright spots in this game were both former Knicks. Donte DiVincenzo scored 21 points and hit five three-pointers, four of which came in the second quarter. Playing with a mask on his face hasn't cooled down DiVincenzo's long-range marksmanship. The Wolves would love to see him continue to let it fly from deep moving forward.

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