The Athletic: Karl-Anthony Towns has another ‘monster’ night against the Warriors: ‘If you run out of food, feed him the fork’
But it’s about more than just a shooting contest over All-Star weekend. It is the accumulation of performances like the one he put on against Curry’s Warriors Tuesday night, a 39-point man’s game in which he overpowered Golden State’s undermanned frontcourt. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back and without the injured
Anthony Edwards, Towns was aggressive from the start, knowing full well the Warriors didn’t have anyone who could check him.
Kevon Looney was too slow to stay with him on the perimeter. Rookie Jonathan Kuminga had no idea where Towns was going to go each time the Wolves center faced him up.
It has been a year of rebirth for Towns’ game after all the struggles of the past two seasons set him back. He is an All-Star again, in the middle of his finest season as a pro, a player who has long been discounted and pushed aside rising from the doldrums and demanding respect — at home and across the league.
His latest gem propelled the Wolves to a 129-114 victory over the Warriors, completing a daunting four-game stretch coming out of the All-Star break at 3-1. The
Timberwolves (34-29) may not be making up much ground on sixth-seeded Denver in their quest to get out of the Play-In Tournament field, but they are keeping the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers (33-31), who have won four straight games, at bay. The Wolves hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Clippers for the seventh seed, which would give them two tries on their home court in the Play-In Tournament to win one game and advance to the playoffs.
Tuesday was the second time in the past six games that Towns has scored 39 points. He also hit the go-ahead 3-pointer to beat the
Cleveland Cavaliers on the road Monday night and is starting to carry himself with the confidence that a franchise player does. He doesn’t hesitate to proclaim himself the greatest shooting big man of all time. He says when the Wolves need a bucket down the stretch in games, it’s up to him to make “superstar” plays, and he puts the responsibility to fix the team’s struggling defense on his shoulders.
If it sounds a little overconfident to some, there will be no apologies from Towns. This is what the Timberwolves need from him, an assertive, forceful player who recognizes a mismatch and tears it apart piece by piece. The Wolves have shown an ability to give the Warriors fits at Target Center, and with the two possibly on a collision course to face each other in the playoffs, any little edge helps. With Towns in the middle, the Wolves have a big one.
“Feed him, feed him, feed him,” said
D’Angelo Russell, who had 22 points and seven assists. “If you run out of food, feed him the fork. I don’t know. Keep feeding him.”
Towns made 14 of 22 shots, went 3-for-6 from deep and made 8 of 11 free throws. He also grabbed nine rebounds. The Wolves outscored Golden State, 54-42, in the paint and even held a 42-40 edge on the glass, a rarity for them. Towns’ 15 points in the first quarter helped the Wolves get off to a strong start after trailing by at least 10 points in six straight games. It also allowed them to finally get a win on the second night of a back-to-back, which has been a bugaboo all season long.
“KAT was a monster, too, and set the tone early,” Finch said. “They didn’t really have an answer for him.”
It has been a year of rebirth for Towns' game after all the struggles of the past two seasons set him back.
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