BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns' slump continues; Wolves fall to Mavs in Game 3
The NBA Western Conference playoffs provided yet another comeback on Sunday, but the Minnesota Timberwolves were once again on the wrong side of the final score. The Dallas Mavericks, propelled by the heroics of Luka Doncic, the shiftiness of Kyrie Irving, and the occasional timely 3-pointer from PJ Washington, defeated the Timberwolves 116-107 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The Mavericks were in control most of the game, but Anthony Edwards lit a third-quarter spark under his team after he threw down one of the most insane dunks you’ll ever see in a playoff game.
The game remained close deep into the 4th quarter, but the Mavericks pulled away in the final few minutes when the Wolves couldn’t buy a basket and the combination of Luka, Kyrie, and PJ couldn’t miss.
Washington finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds on 5-10 shooting and 2-6 from behind the arc. If you had told me PJ would have turned into a crucial contributor and 3-point sniper for an NBA title contender when he left Kentucky, I would have told you to go easy on the Cornbread Hemp. And yet, here we are.
The player who everyone knew would be a star, Karl-Anthony Towns, picked a bad time to fall into a shooting slump. During the first half of the regular season, Towns was shooting at a historic clip, flirting with the elusive 50/40/90 club. But in the Western Conference Finals, KAT is just 15-57 (27.8 percent) from the field, and 3-22 (13.6 percent). This includes Sunday when he made just five of his 18 field goal attempts and missed all eight of his 3-point shots. He finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
On the TNT broadcast, Draymond Green said Towns claims he’s been getting up 1,500 shots per day, but I’d have to agree with his assessment of that assertion: “KAT capping right now.”
The Timberwolves now have their work cut out for them as no team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. 154 teams have tried and zero, yes zero, have succeeded. Game 4 will tip off Tuesday at 8:30 in Dallas on TNT.
BBNBA Stats for 5/26/2024
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | P/M | MIN |
| PJ Washington (DAL) | 116-107 W vs. MIN | 16 | 5-10 (2-6) | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 40 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 107-116 L vs. DAL | 14 | 5-18 (0-8) | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -12 | 38 |
Tonight in the NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Finals | Game 4 | BOS leads 3-0
8:30 (ESPN): Celtics @ Pacers (Jackson)
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