Minnesota (38-29) is a half-game behind Golden State (38-28) for sixth-place in the Western Conference standings. Both of those teams are tied for the conference's longest win streak with six games, and the Timberwolves are 11-0 in the last 11 games that Julius Randle has played in. They acquired Randle from the Knicks in the Towns trade.

The New York Knicks have impressed throughout the 2024-25 season with Karl-Anthony Towns playing a major role. Team owner James Dolan views him to be the last major piece to the puzzle for title contention.

New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is actually skipping the game this time. Towns declined to engage in Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green's verbal