Knicks shows signs of what ceiling can be with rout of Timberwolves

Mike Brown’s vision for the Knicks had already been evident, but Wednesday night was the clearest sign yet of what their ceiling can be when his system is fully implemented.

There was balanced scoring, which was needed as Jalen Brunson started slowly. There was pretty ball movement, which left fans oohing and aahing.

There was plenty of bench production from a unit that continues to get better and better. There was 3-point prowess, which helped the Knicks separate in the third quarter.

The Knicks and Timberwolves had nearly identical seasons last year, each losing in the conference finals. But there was a tangible gap between the two sides Wednesday night, as the Knicks won 137-114 at Madison Square Garden to improve to 5-3 — and a perfect 5-0 at home — on the season.

Dating back to last year, it marked their third meeting since the blockbuster trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks and sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves. The Knicks have the upper hand, having won two of those three.

All of a sudden, the Knicks turned a three-game losing streak into a three-game winning streak. All of a sudden, those early questions about Brown and his fit with this roster have quieted.

The Knicks outscored the Timberwolves by 12 points in the third quarter and never looked back. Brunson, after entering halftime with just seven points, scored 12 in the third quarter, as the Knicks pulled away, and finished with 23 points.

Due to his reserved personality and at times in-the-background play style, OG Anunoby’s impact often doesn’t get the loud credit it deserves. But he has started the season strong, and Wednesday night was at the forefront. He had a team-high 25 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. And he was a menace on the defensive end.

Randle and DiVincenzo had strong nights back at their old stomping grounds, but didn’t get much help from Anthony Edwards, who made his return after missing the past four games due to an injured hamstring. Mikal Bridges was quiet offensively but did an admirable job containing Edwards as the point-of-attack defender.

Mitchell Robinson dominated his individual matchup against Rudy Gobert, who like most opponents was hopeless in keeping Robinson off the glass. Robinson recorded a career-high nine offensive rebounds — 10 total — along with eight points and three blocks.

Towns, who was a game-time decision with an illness, recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against his old team.

He had a particularly effective stretch in the second quarter, when he bullied Gobert and Edwards and dunked on their heads in quick succession. He subsequently made a no-look pass to Bridges and then a behind-the-head pass to Jordan Clarkson for easy layups, all part of an 18-11 run in the quarter.

Josh Hart finally found his shooting stroke, adding a season-high 18 points and shooting 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He helped the Knicks own a 53-26 advantage in bench scoring.

When the Knicks are operating like they did on Wednesday, they can hurt opponents in so many different ways. That, after all, is at the core of Brown’s vision.