Minnesota outscored the Lakers 40-12 in the third quarter and by 29 in the second half. Towns made four 3-pointers in the game and finished with 29 points, while Russell made five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points. They just embarrassed the Lakers on LA’s home court.
The Lakers are now 7-6, while the Timberwolves are 4-7. This is not what the Lakers were looking for after consecutive wins at home.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to a bit of a rocky start this season, and there has been talk for a while that Karl-Anthony Towns may eventually decide he wants to play elsewhere. Some of his recent social media activity will surely fuel those rumors.
On Thursday, the Twitter police discovered that Towns “liked” a tweet that included the hashtag #FreeKat. That hashtag is predominantly used by people who want to see the Timberwolves trade Towns.
It’s always hard to believe the hacked excuse, but perhaps Towns is telling the truth. Or, he didn’t realize his “like” would generate so much attention. If it was him who liked the tweet, there’s really no way for him to spin it.
Towns has been his usual dominant self through seven games this season. The former top overall pick is averaging 23.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Minnesota has had some ugly losses, however, and one T-Wolves player recently sounded off about the team’s selfish play.
Towns was openly frustrated prior to the season with what he called “instability” in the Timberwolves organization. He has only been to the playoffs once since entering the NBA in 2015. While he has always insisted he is happy in Minnesota, a lot of people think he’ll eventually want a trade.
Photo: Jul 9, 2019; Marina del Rey, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns attends the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards at Ritz-Carlton. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of those players who approaches sporting competitions as if they are feral battles in the wild … literally.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star told reporters on Tuesday that he has a new way of hyping himself up before games this season. Specifically, Towns watches video of two gorillas fighting to the death.
“Before games, I know Kobe [Bryant] had talked about that he had used to listen to Halloween-themed music and that would really get him going,” he said. “I really have just been watching two gorillas fight before every game. I’ve been addicted to that. I want to see who’s the best in the laws of nature.”
“I’m watching gorillas fight all day,” the 25-year-old added. “I know if I’m in that video, I’m leaving out alive. Someone gotta die. Ain’t gonna be me.”
Towns does play for a team called the Timberwolves, so firing himself up by watching bloodthirsty videos of nature is actually somewhat fitting. But it is still a pretty bizarre pregame ritual considering that most players prefer to take shots from the tunnel or eat grilled chicken breast or something.
It is worth noting that Minnesota is scheduled to play at Phoenix on Jan. 28. Why is this important, you ask? Well let’s just say that Towns will probably now be seeing red if he runs into the Suns mascot.
Photo: Jul 9, 2019; Marina del Rey, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns attends the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards at Ritz-Carlton. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
After another week of unpleasant drama for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns is venting a bit.
Towns, the Timberwolves’ franchise center, hinted that he is a bit frustrated with the consistent “instability” within the organization. The latest example is the abrupt firing of team president Gersson Rosas, partly due to an inappropriate relationship with another team staffer.
Karl-Anthony Towns on the consistent instability in Minnesota:
"What happened last week, it just adds to the list. It’s the same thing every single time. It’s something that always leads to instability… I’ve been through I feel like almost everything.”
Credit to Towns for handling a pretty ridiculous situation so professionally. That fits with recent reports indicating he’s not agitating for an exit.
On the other hand, Towns won’t want to wait around forever. The 25-year-old has only made the playoffs once since entering the league in 2015. He’s signed through the 2023-24 season, and at that point, he’ll want progress and a plan or the Timberwolves may be faced with losing their star.
Opposing NBA teams are now likely eyeing Karl-Anthony Towns’ situation in Minnesota like jittery drivers hunting for a parking spot. They may be out of luck for the time being though.
“Karl-Anthony Towns has weathered a lot of drama in his six years here,” said Krawczynski. “So far, there are no indications that he is ready to go that route. I know the team has engaged directly with him and his representation over the last 24 hours to try and send a new message and get everyone on board and let them know what they’re thinking and what they’re doing.”
It is reasonable to question Towns’ commitment to the Wolves amid recent events. The former No. 1 overall pick was clearly very taken aback by the team’s sudden firing of president Gersson Rosas this week. The Wolves have also made the playoffs just once during Towns’ career (a first-round exit in 2018) and are now on their fourth head coach since his rookie season.
The 25-year-old Towns is under contract through 2024 though. He has also reaffirmed his commitment to Minnesota throughout all their drama, and nothing about that appears to be changing just yet.
The Minnesota Timberwolves surprised many with the abrupt firing of team president Gersson Rosas on Wednesday. That includes their own players.
Star center Karl-Anthony Towns seemingly reacted to the news on social media shortly after it broke on Wednesday. Towns did not seem particularly pleased with the development, either.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Towns’ reaction was not unique. Rosas was still holding meetings as of Wednesday morning, and the firing came as a big surprise to many in the organization.
The timing Rosas of firing indeed caught players and those in the organization by surprise as Rosas was still holding meetings and in the gym this morning, sources tell me and @ZachLowe_NBAhttps://t.co/g9LBNU9jNs
Karl-Anthony Towns and his father shared an emotional moment ahead of Sunday’s Mother’s Day game against the Orlando Magic.
Towns lost his mother Jacqueline to COVID-19 in April 2020, meaning he and his father, Karl Sr., are experiencing their second Mother’s Day without her. Prior to the game, the pair shared an embrace filled with raw emotion.
Karl-Anthony Towns shared an emotional moment on Mother's Day with his dad, Karl Sr.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Towns had a stellar game on Sunday. He had 27 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in only 29 minutes as the Timberwolves beat Orlando by 32.
LaMelo Ball is considered the favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors in the NBA, but Karl-Anthony Towns won’t let that happen without a fight.
After Friday night’s game, Towns gave an impassioned speech on behalf of Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards. Towns argued that Edwards, the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, gets the most attention from opposing defenses and is facing double teams as a rookie, which speaks to his talent.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ full stump speech for Anthony Edwards, Rookie of the Year pic.twitter.com/xpMuGH3E6t
Edwards does lead all rookies with 19 points per game. Ball isn’t far behind with 15.9 points per game, though, and he bests Edwards in rebounds, assists, and steals per game.
Tom Thibodeau is known for collecting his former players like a Pokemon trainer. Now he could be trying to add one more to the mix.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported this week that the New York Knicks and Thibodeau are eyeing a potential acquisition of Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns via trade. Thibodeau coached Towns in Minnesota for three seasons from 2016 to 2019.
“I don’t know if Minnesota would ever make Karl-Anthony Towns available,” said Bondy, per HoopsHype. “But as bad as things ended for Thibodeau in Minnesota, I’ve heard that he’d be open to Karl-Anthony Towns again. Thibodeau just wants to win. He thinks Karl-Anthony Towns will help him do that. And so I know that Karl-Anthony Towns is somebody that’s actually been reported before that the Knicks are monitoring as well.”
Towns and the Wolves are having a nightmare season headlined by an NBA-worst 7-27 record and the firing of head coach Ryan Saunders, among other struggles. But the 25-year-old is still under contract through 2024. He also recently expressed his commitment to Minnesota despite all the tumult.
Still, things can change very quickly in the NBA. Thibodeau has also already reunited with two of his former Minnesota players in Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson. Meanwhile, the Knicks have plenty of young assets (such as Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Obi Toppin) to put together a compelling trade package for Towns. Their recent upswing in fortunes certainly won’t hurt in a potential pursuit of Towns either.
There was nothing but love between Karl-Anthony Towns and Giannis Antetokounmpo after their teams played on Tuesday night.
Giannis’ Milwaukee Bucks beat Towns’ Minnesota Timberwolves 139-112 to improve to 19-13 on the season. Giannis had 37 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in the win. Towns had 26 points and 11 rebounds in Minnesota’s loss.
"I kinda know how much he hurts. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love and then you gotta go and still do your job. It's extremely hard. I told him I love him, stay healthy and I'll see you soon."
Towns shared that he appreciated the efforts and gestures from Antetokounmpo. He said the two built a friendship as a result.
KAT spoke about this postgame too.
"I appreciate him and the way he’s reached out to me during my time. We really built a friendship there. I’m really appreciative of him and the amount of care he’s put into me and my family." https://t.co/x3QI0uaL8I
Not only is Towns dealing with his team being the worst in the NBA this season, but the big man has also been dealing with mental struggles this season. He’s having a rough year but has some support from others helping him out.
