There were a handful of defensive possessions in the Knicks’ 116-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday where the shell remained intact, the defense was sound, and Wolves shooters made

Exactly a year prior to his long-awaited MSG return, the highest mark of Julius Randle’s tenure was taking shape.

Julius Randle speaks about the Knicks trade to the Timberwolves and reflects on his time in New York and his new journey in Minnesota.

Josh Hart pirouetted as he swiped the ball from Guerschon Yabusele, then floated the pass to Mikal Bridges for the alley-oop slam, then screamed as Bridges hung on the rim with one hand. That was the exclamation point on a Wednesday night when the ‘Nova Knicks’ fingerprints were all over a 125-119 overtime victory over the shorthanded 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.

It’ll represent the durable DiVincenzo’s first DNP of the season for the T’wolves and puts a damper on an anticipated matchup between offseason trade partners.

The New York Knicks took a risk by trading Julius Randle after all he'd contributed. Unfortunately, it's looking like it was the right decision.

Randle believed in the Knicks and their potential when almost no one else in the NBA did. When Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and almost every other free agent took a hard pass on the Knicks, Randle risked coming to a franchise that had just finished a 17-65 season and had gone six straight years without making the playoffs.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots at the basket as Boston Celtics forwards Xavier Tillman (26) and Jayson Tatum (0) defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) AP

Jalen Brunson had 26 points and Cam Payne scored all 18 of his points in a span of 4:17, but the Knicks couldn't keep up with the Timberwolves.

Friday night marked Randle’s first game back at Madison Square Garden since the Knicks traded him and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the three-team blockbuster that brought center Karl-Anthony Towns to New York.

Julius Randle marked his return to Madison Square Garden with a quiet game. But his impact was felt in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-99 rout of his former team, the New York Knicks, on Friday night (Saturday Manila time).