The Minnesota Timberwolves have their backs against the wall against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Down 3-0 heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night, Chris Finch needed his star players to step up. For the first time in the series, Karl-Anthony Towns answered the call.
The Western Conference Finals have been a struggle for the talented big man. His shot has not been falling, as he went into Game 4 shooting 27.8 percent from the field overall and 13 percent from 3-point range.
When his team needed him most, he was able to break out of the slump. Towns shot 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 in the elimination game. He was a big reason the Timberwolves were able to avoid getting swept, winning 105-100.
“It’s Game 4, down 3-0, ain’t no time to have any doubts,” Towns said. “Go out there and be aggressive, shoot my shot like I’ve been doing all series, being confident in every shot I shoot.”
It was a much-needed bounce-back for Karl-Anthony Towns. In Game 2, he was actually benched for nearly nine minutes by Chris Finch for ineffective play. Following another poor performance in Game 3, Finch did not mince his words when talking about his All-Star big man.
Despite that, Karl-Anthony Towns remained confident in his abilities. He stepped up big in Game 4, playing with five fouls in the fourth quarter and avoiding disqualification en route to scoring 10 points in the final frame.
“KAT’s a great player,” Finch said. “His struggles were not going to last forever. He got himself going. Even when he got deep in foul trouble, we left him out there. … Just let him roll, and he played smart, played under control, rebounded really well for us, executed defensively. Really proud of him.
“Tonight was a great step for him.”
Along with the 25 points from Towns, Anthony Edwards scored 29. It was the first time all series the Minnesota stars outplayed the Mavericks’ star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The dynamic guards combined to shoot a woeful 13-of-39 from the field and 5-of-17 from 3-point range.
To force a Game 6 back in Dallas on Saturday, the Timberwolves are going to need another solid outing from Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 5. That is set to be played on Thursday night back in Minnesota, as they will look to avoid elimination for a second consecutive game.
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