Donte DiVincenzo will not play Friday night when the Timberwolves visit Madison Square Garden for a matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks. His absence could pose significant challenges for Minnesota.
The 27-year-old guard has flirted with triple doubles in two of Minnesota’s last three outings. DiVincenzo tallied 28 points, nine assists, six rebounds, one steal and zero turnovers in the Wolves’ loss to the Warriors on Wednesday, making him the first player in franchise history to post such a line.
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.
DiVincenzo is undoubtedly bummed to miss Friday's game against his old team. It would've been his first regular season game at MSG since being traded from the Knicks to the Wolves along with Julius Randle in late September.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable to face his former team Friday with a sprained right thumb, while Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo will miss his return to Madison Square Garden with a toe injury.
On Friday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves will play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. For the game, the Timberwolves will be without one of their best players, as Donte DiVincenzo has been ruled out.
Donte DiVincenzo, once a fearless, hot 3-point shooter for the Knicks, as he converted a career-high 40 percent from deep during the 2023-24 campaign, no longer suits up for the blue and orange. Now, he's a member of the Timberwolves, which would make for a different type of gathering.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 24-point deficit to forge a late tie in a 116-115 loss to the Golden State Warriors that suggested they're not far from finding their groove.
DiVincenzo ended Wednesday's 116-115 loss to Golden State with 28 points (9-19 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 4-6 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and one steal across 39 minutes. Facing the team he spent the 2022-23 campaign with,
Putting DiVincenzo in the starting lineup also gives him a role closer to what he had in New York last season when he thrived as a spark-plug shooter and defender for the Knicks. He started 68 games in the regular season and every playoff game for New York.
Julius Randle is not a good fit for the Wolves and Anthony Edwards is not playing within the offensive system.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the New York Knicks in a cross-conference matchup on Friday's NBA schedule. New York is 27-15 overall and 13-7 at home, while Minnesota is 21-19 overall and 11-10 on the road.