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MINNEAPOLIS — Julius Randle tried but failed miserably to hijack Karl-Anthony Towns’ big night.
With revenge clearly on his mind and a determined look on his face, Randle came out aggressive and angry, dropping 15 points in the opening quarter.
But his start was more sizzle than steak as the Knicks, behind an emotional and effective performance from Towns, dominated the final three quarters of a 133-107 statement obliteration.
For Thursday night and the first third of this season, the Knicks (17-10) won the trade.
Towns has been a stat stuffer and reinforced his status as an East All-Star starter candidate with 32 points on 10 of 12 shooting, 20 boards and six assists.
The other Knicks newcomer, Mikal Bridges, added 29 points on 12 of 18 from the field.
The Knicks led by at least 20 points for the final 31 minutes as Tom Thibodeau, infamously uncomfortable with large leads, emptied his bench with nine minutes left.
It was Randle’s first game against the Knicks since his contract extension talks went nowhere and he was shipped to the Timberwolves for Towns.
A day prior, Randle playfully stonewalled questions about facing his former team, an interview that demonstrated, if nothing else, his desire to disconnect from the Knicks despite five seasons with the franchise.
Then on Thursday, Randle started with powerful moves and one angry shout at the Knicks bench following his trey.
He was grooving.
But everything changed in the second quarter.
OG Anunoby switched on Randle, prompting a couple of turnovers and some ugly Timberwolves possessions.
The Knicks’ offense hit full stride and launched a 37-8 run to take full control.
Minnesota’s best defense of the second quarter arrived courtesy of the arena security, who tackled two women in neon cheerleader outfits who attempted to run on the court.
One didn’t get past the first sideline.
Both were quickly arrested.
The half ended with a 22-point Knicks lead and the home crowd booing the Timberwolves (14-12).
Randle finished with 24 points, but just nine on 3 of 9 shooting after the opening quarter.
He darted immediately for the locker room after the defeat, forgoing the postgame ritual of handshakes and hugs with the opponent.
The Knicks were playing without Josh Hart, who wasn’t with the team at Target Center because of personal reasons.
They instead started Precious Achiuwa (13 points, 10 rebounds) at power forward and re-inserted Jericho Sims (18 minutes, six points) in the reserve rotation.
It was the first missed game of the season for any of the regular wing starters — Hart, Bridges and Anunoby.
Yet the Knicks didn’t skip a beat.
They shot 51.5 percent, including 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Jalen Brunson struggled by his high standards — he scored 14 points with seven assists — but the Knicks didn’t need him.
Donte DiVincenzo, the other former Knick involved in the Towns trade, was a non-factor with 15 points in 25 minutes, with his status in Minnesota such that he played the totality of garbage time.
For Towns, the night was a long winterland lovefest.
The center returned to snowy Minnesota to two video tributes Thursday night — one before tip-off, another during the game — as Towns gushed about the “warm feeling” of stepping back in the Target Center.
“I was here nine years. That’s a long time. I called this place home,” Towns said. “To be back here, to be able to sleep in my house one more time, it was really a nostalgic feeling.”
Towns, who spent nine seasons with the Timberwolves after being drafted first overall in 2015, was appropriately greeted with 6 inches of snowfall but dismissed the idea that he’d have trouble commuting to morning shootaround.
“That’s a New York question. That’s not a Minnesotan question,” Towns laughed. “Come on. I ain’t going to answer that one.”
“I just wanted to be my best with whatever NBA jersey I put on, but I especially wanted to be my best here in a Timberwolves jersey,” added Towns. “This place has given my family so much, not even from a financial aspect, but from a life aspect of the experiences we were able to have because of the organization and the things we were able to accomplish here. Those are things that you can never discredit, you can never lose love for. I continue to see Minnesota as a home for me.”
It was a much different vibe from Randle, who came out with an ax to grind and left with a dull blade.
Towns left with a win and a celebration of his nine years in Minnesota.
