A month after the trade, Karl-Anthony Towns looks very settled in New York

MIAMI (AP) — Someone asked coach Tom Thibodeau before New York's game Wednesday what else he's looking to get from Karl-Anthony Towns as this season goes along.

Thibodeau didn't sound worried.

A couple hours later, Towns showed why.

In only his fourth game with the Knicks, Towns went wild — 44 points, by far the most by any New York player in this still-young season, leading his club to a 116-107 win in Miami.

He might be a perfect fit into the decades-long Knicks-Heat rivalry. Towns averages 25.4 points in his career in games at Miami, his second-highest road average against any opponent. He averages 25.8 points in games at Indiana.

“The weather,” Towns told MSG Network after the game, when asked why he likes games in Miami so much. “I was in Minnesota. It's cold. It's hot here. I like that.”

Towns, traded by Minnesota to New York as camps were opening about a month ago in the deal that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves, wasn't off to a bad start to the season by any measure. His first three games: 12 points, 21 points and 13 points, with two double-doubles. Not eyepopping, but not bad, either.

Game 4 of his New York career was different from the get-go.

He had 24 by halftime, kept rolling in the second half, was 17 of 25 from the floor, grabbed 13 rebounds and had the fourth-most points ever by a Knick against the Heat in the 173rd game between the clubs. New York has won 88, Miami 85.

“I love his approach because he's not forcing anything,” Thibodeau said. “He's letting the game come to him. I want him to be assertive and everything, but I want him to let the game come to him. He's a very gifted scorer, as you saw tonight. ... He can hurt you a lot of different ways.”

There's 78 games to go, but Towns already has an appreciation for the Knicks and what's possible this season.

“They're gritty. They find a way to win. They never quit,” Towns said. “Bringing that New York mentality every single night, it's something that you recognize when you get to live in that kind of culture.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Miami. At left is New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) and guard Tyler Herro (14) defend New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) goes to the basket as Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant (31) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, center, goes to the basket as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Miami. At left is New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25). (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)