DENVER — Karl-Anthony Towns was excellent during Minnesota’s third quarter surge in its Game 2 defeat in Denver. The all-star big man recorded eight points, five rebounds, two assists and a massive blocked shot in transition to help spark a 40-point frame that catapulted the Timberwolves from a 15-point halftime deficit to a two-point advantage heading into the final frame.
Finally, it looked as if Towns had found his footing in the first-round series.
Then came the final frame. Towns went 0 for 4 from the field, didn’t grab a single rebound nor tally an assist, turned the ball over and was beat for an alley-oop lob on the defensive end as Denver pulled away from Minnesota to go up 2-0 in the best-of-7 series.
That fourth quarter was emblematic of Towns’ playoff performances. While Anthony Edwards was electric in numerous facets Wednesday in Denver, Towns was too easily relegated to irrelevance. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting. As the series moves to Minnesota for Game 3 on Friday night, Towns is 8 for 27 from the field. Cancel out a meaningless fourth quarter in Game 1, and those numbers dip to 5 for 23.
“Definitely stings, it hurts,” Towns said Wednesday of his shooting struggles. “The first shot of the game was a floater that went everywhere but in, but it’s cool — it’s alright. Not too high, not too low. Keep it even keel, just get ready for Game 3. I trust my ability. I work too hard, so I’m not losing no confidence. I ain’t losing anything like that. I’m going to take my shot every time.”
That’s a composed response to any shooting struggles. If only Towns would demonstrate the same self control in his play. He committed a number of silly turnovers in the first quarter Wednesday to get Minnesota off to a rough start, making ill-advised passes and holding the ball for inordinate amounts of time as he tried to direct the offense.
His game appears out of equilibrium. Every move he makes is too slow to start and too rushed in its process. The decision-making isn’t crisp. When that’s the case, not only are you more likely to turn the ball over, but shots are also less likely to fall.
“You’re not going to make everything,” said Towns, who noted he entered the playoffs on a hot streak from the field.
It’s possible his averages are simply evening out at the wrong time for Minnesota. It’s also possible the playoffs present a test Towns has yet to pass. The prolific scorer has been held under 20 points in eight of his 13 career playoff games. He has committed four-plus turnovers in six of his past seven contests, while committing five fouls in four games during that same span.
The most important time of year has yet to truly bring out the best in Towns’ game. That’s again led to national pundits jumping on Towns, as Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley raced to criticize the big man on TNT after Minnesota’s Game 2 defeat.
“If you’re the second-best player on a team, you’ve got to play like it,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA. “Karl-Anthony Towns has more turnovers than made baskets. That’s not going to get it done.”
Barkley then went into the traditional narratives that Towns has “ruined” his game by playing too much on the perimeter and not enough in the post. Frankly, Towns is generally excellent in both areas but he has struggled to capitalize from any spot on the floor in the playoffs. Denver coach Mike Malone noted during his pregame availability Wednesday that the one advantage Denver’s small defenders have against Towns is that they can get up into him to not allow the big to get comfortable.
“They’re all over him out there. He’s got to probably play a little quicker to draw the fouls,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They’re wrestling him off his spot. I’ve got to continue to do a better job of finding him and getting him opportunities to catch the ball in space. Not a lot of space around him right now.”
But a lack of space didn’t prevent Towns from succeeding during the third quarter of Game 2. He was decisive. When he had an opportunity to get off a 3-point attempt, he took it. When he drove and sucked in the defense, he kicked to an open teammate.
“I thought in the second he played much more in a rhythm. I thought he let the game come to him a little bit better,” Finch said. “I thought his finishing around the basket wasn’t what we are accustomed to, but he was ready to shoot, he was ready to drive a little bit better.”
Finch said simplification is key for Towns. Making quick, simple decisions is a path to basketball success for any player on any stage.
“Every time we come to the bench, I’m telling the guys the game is simple. Don’t overthink it,” Wolves guard Mike Conley said. “KAT, you get the ball, go straight to it. If you’re in the low post, go straight to work. Don’t wait. Don’t try to read a double team. Just be aggressive early. You’ll make the right reads.”
And, when his shot isn’t falling, Towns noted he must continue to try to “just affect the game every other way.”
“Things like this happen, being a pro. Sometimes the shots ain’t going to fall, but then dominate the glass, dominate the paint, make sure I’m the best defender, best rebounder, best everything, move the ball,” Towns said. “You’re not going to make shots every day. (It) happens, but I could affect the game in so many different ways, it doesn’t need to be scoring. Ant was hot (Wednesday), we were trying to give him the ball. Next game, I don’t think it’ll be the same way.”
It can’t be if Minnesota wants to win four of its next five games against the top seed in the Western Conference.
