Knicks still searching for first preseason win after 122-104 loss to Timberwolves

The Knicks are still in search of their first preseason win after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, 122-104, at Madison Square Garden.

Here are the takeaways…

— New York has struggled to find its footing offensively so far in preseason and that continued against the Timberwolves with the Knicks shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. Jalen Brunson led the charge with 20 points on 6-of-13 from the floor but was capped at 22 minutes along with the rest of the starting five.

— OG Anunoby was right behind Brunson with 15 points (4-of-8) while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges combined for 20 on 6-for-12. Josh Hart had two points with three rebounds, three assists, a steal and two turnovers. His lone made basket gave New York its only lead of the night in the first quarter.

— Beyond that, the Knicks gave extended minutes to a number of other players to see who might step up. Pacome Dadiet was first up and scored seven points in 14 minutes while going 2-for-3 from deep. Dadiet was the most efficient scorer among the reserves and knocking down threes is a good sign for young wing competing for minutes.

— Andre Drummond was the first sub for Towns at the center position and the veteran had three blocks and four rebounds to show his potential value as a backup center following the loss of Mitchell Robinson. Overall the Knicks were outrebounded 39-28, despite nobody on Minnesota having more than five rebounds.

— Entering the game in the final seven minutes with New York conceding, Tony Bradley made an impact by going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and grabbing two boards. Still, even he was a minus-1 on the floor as the entire Knick roster ended the game in minus territory.

— For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards had 26 points in a game-high 25 minutes and was hot from deep, going 5-for-8. Jaden McDaniels wasn’t far behind him with 22 points on 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Overall, Minnesota shot over 50 percent from both the floor and three-point range, although it struggled from the free throw line (66.7 percent).

Edwards and McDaniels alone combined to make more threes than the Knicks.

— Ayo Dosunmu had himself a great game with a plus-13 rating in just 20 minutes but found himself in a confrontation with Anunoby after Dosunmu chased him down for a block attempt after the Timberwolves turned it over which resulted in a foul and a pair of hard falls.

Game MVP: Anthony Edwards

He led all scorers with 26 points.

Highlights

What’s next

The Knicks play the second game of a back-to-back on Tuesday night when they travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors at 7 p.m.