Knicks 103, Timberwolves 99: Scenes from a win that very nearly turned into disaster

I feel like I’m gonna throw up.

The Knicks blew a late 21-point lead to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, fell behind by one point, but managed to hit just enough free throws late to eke out a 103-99 victory.

Ricky Rubio led all scorers at the half thanks to the “defense” of Elfrid Payton, but the Knicks held an 11-point lead because Julius Randle is just that dude.

Randle and RJ Barrett continued to power the Knicks as the took a 21-point lead with a few minutes left in the third. But a questionable four-point play and some atrocious all-around performances by the Knicks’ second unit allowed the Wolves to quickly climb back into the game in the fourth.

From then on, it was a tense, back-and-forth affair. RJ hit a tough layup, but got stoned on several more attempts. Randle missed a few, but got the critical free throws to put New York ahead for good. And wily vet Taj Gibson came in to defend Karl-Anthony Towns, who barely missed a go-ahead shot for the Wolves. Alec Burks hit four consecutive free throws to close out the game. If the Knicks had been playing any team other than Minnesota, this might have been a humiliating loss.

Recap to come.