Friday night marked Randle’s first game back at Madison Square Garden since the Knicks traded him and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the three-team blockbuster that brought center Karl-Anthony Towns to New York.

The Minnesota Timberwolves head to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks in a non-conference matchup. The Timberwolves are 21-19, which puts them in eighth place in the Western Conference. The Knicks are 27-15, which puts them in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable to face his former team Friday with a sprained right thumb, while Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo will miss his return to Madison Square Garden with a toe injury.

Donte DiVincenzo will not play Friday night when the Timberwolves visit Madison Square Garden for a matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks. His absence could pose significant challenges for Minnesota.

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.

"NEWS: Tests on Karl-Anthony Towns' thumb revealed a bone chip in addition to the sprain, The Post has learned. Surgery isn't necessary and plan is for Towns to play with the chip

There was no Villanova reunion. There was no anticipated spat with Rick Brunson to keep an eye on. Former fans didn’t have the chance to watch him play on the Garden floor during what has been a hot streak for the Delaware native.

Even if KAT, who missed Wednesday’s game with a thumb injury, can’t go, Precious Achiuwa has the athleticism to give Gobert problems. Look for the Wolves to, once again, lean on more athletic front-court options like Julius Randle and Naz Reid against this Knicks lineup.

Donte DiVincenzo, once a fearless, hot 3-point shooter for the Knicks, as he converted a career-high 40 percent from deep during the 2023-24 campaign, no longer suits up for the blue and orange. Now, he's a member of the Timberwolves, which would make for a different type of gathering.

The Knicks and the Timberwolves are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but not for long. The New York Knicks will be playing at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

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.

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