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New York 112, Minnesota 106: “Started the New Year right!”

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New York 112, Minnesota 106: “Started the New Year right!”


A first impression is a lasting one.

After shocking news broke of a trade on Saturday sending RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley north of the border to Toronto, many Knicks fans (including myself) were upset. Both RJ and IQ were beloved by the Knicks faithful – two homegrown Knicks that were easy to root for, loved playing here, and were accustomed to basketball life in the Big Apple. The trade officially marked the end of a chapter in Knicks history, one highlighted by Barrett, Quickley, and Obi Toppin.

With every end, however, comes a new beginning.

It was easy to let our hearts overtake our heads when assessing the departures in the Toronto trade, but the three player return the Knicks got from the Raptors was impressive.

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The centerpiece of the trade, OG Anunoby, is an all-NBA defender, someone who led the league in steals last season and shoots the corner 3 at an impressive clip. Precious Achiuwa is a capable backup power forward/center, which is something the Knicks were in desperate need of. Malachi Flynn had an impressive college career, and despite struggling with efficiency at the NBA level, is a hard-nosed defender that could eventually woo Coach Thibs.

Assessing positional fits, spacing, rotations, and overall feel of a lineup is always hard to do in a hypothetical. Whether it be summer league, preseason, or the playoffs, witnessing a product on the court with your own eyes is imperative for predicting success. The league was watching to see how the individual pieces would fit when combined, and today’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves proved to be a proper measuring stick in assessing the new-look Knicks.

The Timberwolves came into the game with a 24-7 record, tops in the Western Conference. Their offense is crisp, and their defense is probably the best in the league. Armed with Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and a strong supporting cast, eyes across the country were on Monday’s matinee at MSG.

It wasn’t too long after tip before OG, Barrett’s replacement in the starting lineup, made himself at home.

After a slow start to the quarter, Julius Randle woke the Knicks up on offense, scoring eight points and sparking a 10-0 run. On the other end of the floor, Isaiah Hartenstein was sonning Rudy Gobert. Check out this disrespectful stuff.

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Thibodeau will be tinkering his rotations moving forward, and traditionally, RJ Barrett has been the starter closing out the first quarter alongside the bench unit. Today, it was Randle, and he looked great early, scoring 15 in frame number one.

Despite this, Minnesota responded quickly. Anthony Edwards and KAT took over scoring duties, and the Knicks couldn’t get shots to fall on the other end of the floor. A 20-7 run by the Wolves brought the end of the first quarter, one that was hot and cold for New York. Minnesota: 32, New York: 23.

The second period got off to an awesome start, and the Knicks were able to sustain the awesomeness for a full 12 minutes. Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes hit back to back triples early. The absence of Quickley gives Grimes a massive chance to expand his offensive game, and he looked great in the first half.

Brunson had 13 in the second, and OG looked incredible in his second quarter minutes. The ball was moving on offense, rotations were tight on defense, and the Knicks were giving fans a reason to believe in their front office. It was a best case scenario for New York, who outscored the Timberwolves 38-17 in the second, bringing a 61-49 advantage for them into the halftime break.

The second half picked up right where the Knicks left off. The Knicks kept on rolling on both ends of the floor throughout the third, with the lead being pushed to as many as 22. While his shot was off tonight, Jalen Brunson showed off his prowess as a distributor, dropping six dimes to his teammates, his most in a quarter this season. He would end up setting a career high with 14 assists before the night was over.

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OG had a couple of nice plays in the third, too. When all was said and done, the Knicks were up 94-78 at the end of three.

As is tradition with the Knicks, the fourth quarter was not easy. Minnesota jumped out to a quick run at the beginning of the frame, and with 6:40 left in the game, Karl-Anthony Towns hit a huge three to cut the once-impressive New York lead to a measly four points.

Luckily, Julius Randle was on cleanup duty tonight. No other Knick would hit a field goal for the rest of the afternoon. Randle scored 12 points in the last 5 minutes. He would finish the night with 39 points, shooting 14-24 from the floor.

Despite some brief scares down the stretch, the Knicks were able to hold on for an inspiring victory. Anunoby’s Knick debut was impressive, and most importantly, it was a win. He contributed a lot on both sides of the floor, and the Knicks looked much more cohesive as a squad with him playing. Was it worth giving up RJ and IQ for? Only time will tell. But tonight, it paid off.

Notes:

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  • Precious Achiuwa in 9 minutes tonight: 0-2 FG, 0 points, 3 rebounds. 2 fouls. Meh, but we can chalk it up to acclimating himself with a new team.
  • Deuce McBride is going to see an expanded opportunity with IQ out of town, and has a chance to really stick in the rotation after signing a three year extension days ago. He also put up a goose egg in the points column tonight.
  • Brunson shot 5-23, and Jaden McDaniels made his life hell. He’s an incredible defender, moves well with length, and is the backbone of the defensive movement happening in Minnesota.
  • Rebounding tonight: +14, Knicks. Offensive rebounds were 16 to 4. That may have been the difference.
  • Big Minnesotian spark from reserve Jordan McLaughlin. He’s a capable backup PG, but hasn’t seen playing time this year. Coming into tonight, he had 10 points in 51 minutes this year. Today, he had 9 points in 12 minutes. And was +13. Basketball!
  • Donte DiVincenzo is now averaging career highs in points, FG%, and 3PT%. He’s 47.0% from the field, and 44.7% from downtown. The signing looks great at this point of the season.

Per xhu35: “Started the New Year right!” Yes, we did!

A happy New Year to all! And remember: The Knicks are undefeated in 2024. Stay classy, New York.



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Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com

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Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com


Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.

“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good. 

“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”

Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.

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“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes. 

“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”

Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).

“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”

Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.

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“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”



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ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors

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ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors



Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.

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Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.

On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.

Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

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The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.

Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.

“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.

Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.

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The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.

Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.

Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police. 

State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.

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The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.

On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.



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Reds Brandon Williamson beats Twins in first Minnesota homecoming

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Reds Brandon Williamson beats Twins in first Minnesota homecoming


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  • In his first professional start in Minnesota, Trimont, MN, native Brandon Williamson pitched into the sixth to beat the Twins 2-1.
  • The victory was the opener of a six-game road trip for the Reds, who improved to 12-8.

MINNEAPOLIS – Brandon Williamson came to this ballpark as a kid, rooted for Joe Mauer and the Twins, maybe even dreamed a little of playing there one day.

“Oh, yeah. Joe Ma,” Williamson said. “That’s my guy.”

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By the time that day came, Mauer had a statue outside the stadium, and Williamson had 29 career starts across three big-league seasons for the Cincinnati Reds.

And then the kid from tiny Trimont, Minnesota, came up big enough to beat the Twins in his first professional start in his home state – a 2-1 victory Friday in front of 200 or more personal friends and family from Trimont. And about 31,000 other people.

“It was awesome,” said Williamson, whose personal contingent at the game represented close to one-third of greater Trimont (pop. 705). “It was everything I thought it would be.”

The left-hander didn’t pitch especially deep into the game, getting two batters into the sixth. But on a night made for native Minnesotans, with a game-time temperature of 43 degrees, Williamson looked right at, well, home, pitching to the conditions and setting down the first six batters he faced – and eight of the first nine.

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As one local press box wag quipped during the second inning, “These Minnesota boys know how to pitch in the cold.”

A pair of one-out runs in the fourth inning provided the scoring for a Reds team lineup still trying to break free from its early season woes – albeit with the twin obstacles of the weather and All-Star starter Joe Ryan’s presence on the mound for the Twins for the first six innings.

The only two hits off Ryan were doubles in the fourth by Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez, sandwiched around a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Kreidler. Suárez’s hit drove in two.

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The only run against Williamson scored after he inexplicably followed four strong innings with three consecutive walks to open the fifth, including a four-pitch walk to No. 8 hitter Brooks Lee leading off the inning.

Austin Martin followed the three freebies with a sacrifice fly on a dying liner to the gap in right that Will Benson caught with a slide.

Williamson then rallied to get Luke Keaschall on an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play started by Suárez, who got the rare start at third base.

“I thought he handled himself really good,” manager Terry Francona said. “He looked like he was having fun pitching. I know he didn’t like walking the bases loaded. But he looked like he was enjoying himself out there. I like that when guys are enjoying competing; then we’re OK.”

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Williamson also left the bases loaded in the third after a hit batter and two-out single followed by a walk. He struck out Keaschall on a called third strike that was confirmed after Keaschall challenged.

“I could have kissed whoever was running the ABS,” Williamson said.

The Reds improved to 12-8 and remained tied for first place in the National League Central after their third win in four games – the second in that stretch by a 2-1 score.“That was cool,” said closer Emilio Pagán, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save in his first outing since experiencing hamstring tightness Tuesday.

“I don’t have a team in my home state (of South Carolina),” Pagán said, “so I don’t know what that feels like. But to pitch against probably his favorite team growing up in front of that many friends and family had to be a surreal feeling. And he handled it great.”



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