BBNBA: 25 points from Karl-Anthony Towns saves Timberwolves' season

To say that Karl-Anthony Towns had been struggling in the Western Conference Finals would be an understatement.

Against the Dallas Mavericks, Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves fell into a 3-0 hole going into Tuesday night, facing elimination and the end of their 2023-24 season. Through the first three games, KAT averaged 15 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 32.9 minutes per outing. Solid numbers on the surface, but not when you look at his shooting numbers: 27.8 percent from the floor (15-54) and 13.6 percent from deep (3-22). Towns was making history for all the wrong reasons and his team suffered as a result.

But not on Tuesday night in Dallas. Towns and the Timberwolves fought off elimination by stealing Game 4 off the Mavericks, 105-100. The former Kentucky center was a massive reason why. KAT dropped 25 points (his most in a postseason game since Game 2 of the second round against the Denver Nuggets) with 20 coming in the second half alone. He shot 9-13 from the floor and 4-5 from deep while chipping in five rebounds during 29 minutes of action.

Foul trouble has been an untimely trend for Towns throughout these playoffs, and those issues resurfaced again in Game 4. Towns picked up his fifth foul midway through the third quarter but managed to keep himself in the game up until the closing minutes. He drilled two massive three-pointers down the stretch of the fourth quarter that pushed Minnesota ahead for good.

“He was super confident,” All-Star guard Anthony Edwards said of Towns. “He wasn’t worried about any shots previous to the shots that he hit tonight. He played exceptionally well.”

On the other end of the floor, Mavericks’ forward PJ Washington contributed 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block in 41 minutes. He struggled shooting the ball though, going 3-13 from the field and 2-9 from long range.

All eyes now turn toward Game 5 back in Minnesota. Tipoff is scheduled for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST on TNT/truTV.

5/28/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	105-100 W @ DAL	25	9-13 (4-5)	5	1	0	0	4	15	29
PJ Washington (DAL)	105-100 L vs. MIN	10	3-13 (2-9)	5	2	0	1	1	-13	41