The Knicks opener went worse. They lost 120-97 in Philadelphia, and Mike Brown didn't hide his frustration. He said his team wasn't physical on the ball and wasn't physical with its defensive positioning, and a coach doesn't usually say that about an exhibition. Still, there was a plan behind the score. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each played 14:51. Brown wants to keep his starters' minutes light and build them up toward the final exhibition, which he treats as a dress rehearsal.
For New York, the biggest storyline is Brunson. He was cleared for camp after surgery on his left wrist in July and looked like himself in Philly, with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 15 minutes. Expect a similar workload at the Garden. If the stars play about a quarter and a half, the bench gets most of the minutes, and Brown will want to see whether the physicality he called out has improved since the opener.
For Minnesota, the question is how much Ball and Edwards play together and whether Kuminga fits next to them. A pass-first point guard feeding Gobert is a new look for this team. Tip is 7:30 PM ET. The full rotations will probably only be on the floor for a few minutes, but those minutes will show more about both teams than the final score will.