Karl-Anthony Towns is a big reason behind the New York Knicks recent success, and people are beginning to take note of his achievements. Perhaps the biggest sign towards his improvement came in Thursday's win against his former Minnesota Timberwolves team where he made them regret trading him in the first place.

The Knicks led by at least 20 points for the final 31 minutes as Tom Thibodeau, infamously uncomfortable with large leads, emptied his bench with nine minutes left. It was Randle’s first game against the Knicks since his contract extension talks went nowhere and he was shipped to the Timberwolves for Towns.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns received a rousing ovation from the Target Center faithful as he took the court on Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his prolific NBA career.