Knicks takeaways from Saturday’s 121-112 preseason loss to

After the Knicks opened the preseason with a win over the Celtics, New York fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 121-112, at MSG on Saturday night.

The likely opening night starting five of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes and Mitchell Robinson started.

Here are the takeaways….

– The Knicks got out to an 8-0 start thanks to aggressive moves to the basket by Grimes and Barrett. Barrett especially attacked the rim and was rewarded with a pair of and-ones to start his evening. They also drew four personal fouls in the first four minutes of the game.

The T’Wolves, who had a hard time buying a basket in the opening minutes, would go on a few runs to cut the Knicks’ lead. The Knicks stayed aggressive and got to the foul line 14 times. A 4-0 run to end the first for Minnesota had them trailing 28-30 after the first. The starters played most of the first quarter with Josh Hart coming in for his first minutes of the preseason and giving the MSG crowd some excitement with a hustle play to try and save a loose ball. Even in the preseason, Hart showed the style of play that has made him a fan-favorite.

-The secondary unit played some significant minutes in the second with Donte DiVincenzo impressing with his defense and Evan Fournier knocking down some shots. Fournier scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 2-of-4 from three. However, Minnesota’s offense was relentless and took the lead, 57-54, at the half.

Barrett led the Knicks with 15 points on 4-for-8 shooting. He was also 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in 14 minutes of play. Randle struggled from the field, scoring just one point on 0-for-5 shooting. He did grab five rebounds and dish three assists in 15 minutes. In 14 minutes of play, Brunson scored nine points on 1-for-5 shooting including 7-for-7 from the charity strike.

-The Knicks entered the third quarter making just three 3-pointers, but Randle would start to feel it midway through the frame. He would hit his first field goal, a…