The former New York Knicks star Julius Randle will make an emotional return to Madison Square Garden.

Former New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle is gearing up to return to Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Randle’s Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Knicks on the road.

The 21-19 Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled to get on the same page at times after making a monstrous offseason trade that brought in Julius Randle

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots at the basket as Boston Celtics forwards Xavier Tillman (26) and Jayson Tatum (0) defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) AP

The shorthanded New York Knicks are facing a daunting test against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The Knicks will take on the contending Timberwolves with All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns questionable with a thumb injury.

There are nine games on the NBA slate tonight and Andrew Caley has you covered with his best NBA player props including Julius Randle in his return to New York.

Only time will tell if New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns gets the thumbs up to face his former squad. Towns' right thumb, injured in Monday's game against

As a reminder, these teams exchanged superstars in the offseason with Julius Randle heading to Minneapolis and Karl-Anthony Towns moving to the Big Apple. The Timberwolves lost at home Wednesday night to the Golden State Warriors, 116-115. New York won in overtime Wednesday in Philadelphia, 125-119, over the 76ers.

Julius Randle appears to be on increasingly thin ice in Minnesota, not closing as many games, not endearing himself to the fans, and his albatross of a player option is threatening the Timberwolves’ ability to retain Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid.

The New York Knicks knew that trading for stars like Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges would be a massive gamble while moving on from several key stalwarts from last season's playoff run. The point of gambling, though, is the chance to come out as a big winner.

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.