Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Subpar effort once again
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Towns provided 14 points (5-18 FG, 0-8 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 11 rebounds and three assists across 38 minutes during Sunday's 116-107 loss to Dallas in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Towns can't find an offensive rhythm, and the star big man had another woeful showing, particularly from three-point range, where he missed all eight of his attempts. The double-double was a nice outcome for the fantasy managers who continue to trust him, but it's worth noting Towns has yet to reach the 20-point mark in any game of the series while shooting a woeful 27.8 percent from the field, including 13.6 percent from deep.
Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Poor shooting in Game 1
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Towns racked up 16 points (6-20 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal across 34 minutes during Wednesday's 108-105 loss to Dallas in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Timberwolves need Towns to be consistent as an offensive threat, and while the numbers have been there most of the time, the efficiency has been lacking. Towns has scored at least 20 points in four of his last eight appearances since the start of the series against the Nuggets while shooting 47.4 percent from the field in that span, so he seems to be getting the job done even when he has an off night from time to time. Given he only made 30 percent of his shots in Game 1 on Wednesday, Towns will aim to bounce back in Game 2 on Friday.
Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Records double-double
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Towns finished Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds and five assists across 29 minutes.
Towns had a couple of clutch buckets in the early stages of the game, but for the most part, he took a backseat in the scoring column as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels carried Minnesota offensively in this win. The Timberwolves need Towns to be at his best if they want to have a shot at winning a complicated Game 7 on the road, and for that to happen, he'll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end of the court, an area in which he hasn't been consistent throughout the series. Towns has reached the 20-point mark in four of the six games he's played in the semis, and the Timberwolves have gone 3-1 in those contests.
Towns left Tuesday's game versus the Nuggets with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter due to an apparent left knee injury but checked back in with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
Towns appeared to aggravate the left knee that he had surgically repaired in March after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope inadvertently tripped him, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports. However, Towns missed less than a minute of game action and should be available to finish Tuesday's contest.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Struggles from field Sunday
Rotowire
Towns posted 13 points (5-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists and one steal in 38 minutes during Sunday's 115-107 loss to the Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Towns might have ended with a double-double, and his overall stat line looked decent despite the loss. Still, his shooting woes are impossible to overlook, especially in a game where the Timberwolves needed him to provide a spark on offense. Towns needs to be better offensively for the Wolves. Otherwise, he forces players such as Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley to handle bigger roles on offense, and that's not a recipe for success. Towns is averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field in the series, and he needs to shake off this woeful showing in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Leader from deep in Game 3 loss
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Towns posted 14 points (4-7 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and three assists over 33 minutes in Friday's 117-90 loss to the Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Towns didn't get much going offensively outside of connecting on a team-high mark from three, ending the contest as one of four players with a double-digit point total to go along with a handful of rebounds in a losing effort. Towns failed to reach the 15-point mark for just the second time this postseason, and he had scored at least 20 points in each of the first two games against Denver. Towns may have to come out in Game 4 looking for more opportunities offensively and displaying more aggressiveness if Minnesota wants to take a commanding 3-1 series advantage.
Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Efficient double-double in win
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Towns closed with 27 points (10-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal across 36 minutes during Monday's 106-80 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Towns was tasked with more responsibility on the defensive end since Rudy Gobert (personal) was unavailable for this contest. Even though he had to deal with Nikola Jokic on both ends of the court, Towns thrived and posted a great stat line. This was Towns' third double-double over his last four playoff appearances, and he's expected to return to his role at power forward in case Gobert is ready to return for Game 3 of the series, scheduled for Friday.
