Julius Randle's return to MSG was quiet, but his star teammates were vocal.
Anthony Edwards dominated the struggling Knicks, but they fell behind again in the fourth quarter and lost 116-99.
The Knicks (27-16) have lost six of their past nine games, losing all momentum from a strong December.
They will take two days off before returning to MSG for the first time since Trae Young rolled the dice.
Edwards had 36 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Timberwolves beefed up Tom Thibodeau's swiss-cheese defense, shooting 22 3-pointers for a whopping 56 percent.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were inefficient offensively without Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns sat in street clothes — though not in Eagles gear this time — nursing a sprained thumb. Jalen Brunson scored 26 points, but was limited to 9-of-23 shooting and five assists. No other Nick scored 20 points.
New York's Jericho Sims started at center and was scoreless until the 18th minute.
Playing as an opponent at MSG for the first time since 2018, Randle yielded to Edwards and finished with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists on just six shots.
For Randle, his return to the Garden Floor was a long-awaited one.
His last game as a Knick at MSG was almost a year ago, when he dislocated his shoulder in a fall on the Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Randle then attempted a non-surgical comeback but failed, and was traded on the eve of training camp.
Another former Knick, Donte DiVincenzo, was sidelined with a sprained toe two days ago against the Warriors.
Randle received a nice ovation during his introduction, but the biggest cheer Friday night was for the fans who filled in the half-court shot and won the SUV.
There was another injury scare for the Knicks in the third quarter when Josh Hart collided with Sims under the basket.
Hart, clearly in pain, grabbed his shoulder and rushed to the locker room, but quickly returned and was subbed back.
Hart finished with 12 points, but made just 3-of-12 shooting and had only three turnovers.
The Timberwolves (22-19) have struggled this season, but they have the talent to be a contender, especially when Edwards is performing at the megastar level he was on Friday.
Knicks? They continue to have problems defensively, including in the fourth quarter, statistically their worst quarter ever.
