NBA: Fast-rising Knicks visit surging Timberwolves

Two of the NBA’s hottest teams — and one of its most in-form players — will collide Tuesday night in Minneapolis when the Minnesota Timberwolves host the New York Knicks.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson is coming off a season-high 47-point performance in a 132-125 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday. Over his last five games, including New York’s NBA Cup championship run, Brunson is averaging 31.8 points per contest and now ranks seventh in the league at 29.1 points per game.

“Jalen again,” coach Mike Brown told SNY after Sunday’s victory. “We were struggling a little bit offensively, and you want to have an MVP of the league on your side. For him to score 47 — he’s capable of doing it, and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do on nights like tonight.”

“He’s a special player. I think we know that,” said Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns. “He doesn’t surprise you when he has nights like that.”

New York has won eight of its last nine games and sits second in the Eastern Conference standings. Josh Hart was inserted into the starting lineup a month ago, and the Knicks are 10-2 when he starts.

“He’s a guy that just does everything well,” Brown said of Hart. “If you’re not careful, you might look at it and say, ‘Well, he can’t really do this.’ Nah, nah — he does everything well. He does a couple of things at an elite level, and when you have a selfless player like that, it helps connect the group no matter who he’s on the floor with.”

The Timberwolves have also been rolling, winning nine of their last 11 games and currently holding fifth place in the Western Conference. In Sunday’s 103-100 win over Milwaukee, center Rudy Gobert posted 11 points and 18 rebounds, becoming the 45th player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career rebounds.

“Elite bigs can play the coverage, get a contest, and secure the rebound, and he’s able to do all that,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said of Gobert. “A lot of guys can do one or two of those things. He does all three.”

While Gobert reached a major milestone, Minnesota continues to rely heavily on Anthony Edwards. Edwards has missed seven games this season due to foot and hamstring injuries but has averaged 30 points over his last three outings. Former Knick Julius Randle has been fully healthy and is contributing 22.5 points per game for the Timberwolves.

New York dominated the season’s first meeting between the teams, handing Minnesota its worst loss of the year in a 137-114 victory at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 5. The Knicks limited Edwards to 15 points, drained 19 of 42 attempts from three-point range, and outrebounded the Timberwolves 50-31 in the win. -Field Level Media/Reuters