Anthony Edwards expressed his frustration with the officiating in the Timberwolves 107-116 loss to the Mavericks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
“31 to 17. They had 31 free throws, we had 17… They did a great job tonight, we just ask for the same calls.”
Even Mike Conley felt the need to step in and explain that the Wolves don’t think they weren’t fouling, but want to see consistency on both ends of the floor.
“Honestly, a lot of my fouls were fouls. But it’s about consistency on both ends. That’s all that we ask for at the end of the day.”
(Starts at 7:00)
Anthony Edwards had his first strong performance of the series with 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in Game 3. Unfortunately, it was a putrid offensive performance from Karl-Anthony Towns that dragged their offense down, with the big man scoring 14 points on 5-18 shooting, missing all eight of his attempted three-pointers with Dirk Nowitzki sitting courtside.
The refereeing in every series has calls that teams disagree with. Many Mavericks fans were concerned with the physicality the Wolves were allowed to play with at the start of the game, with Jaden McDaniels often hooking arms or making contact for a no-call. Similarly, aggressive defense from Dallas was overlooked at times, which added to the Wolves’ frustration.
The Mavericks are 6-0 all-time in playoff matchups against Minnesota, so the Wolves will be motivated to steal at least one game and avoid being swept in their first Conference Finals appearance in 20 years.
Karl-Anthony Towns Explained His Shooting Struggles
Karl-Anthony Towns has talked a big game in terms of referring to himself as the greatest big-man shooter in NBA history. That title has belonged to Dirk Nowitzki for decades, but KAT’s outside shooting did seem to make it an interesting argument. But for the argument to have any weight, KAT’s shooting needs to lead the Wolves to the same success Dirk’s did for Dallas.
Towns went ice-cold in this game and was perplexed as to why after the game, revealing his intense shooting regimen throughout the Playoffs.
“I’ve got to laugh. I’m putting up to 1500 shots a day. Shot so well all playoffs, confidence is extremely high. To be having these unfortunate bounces and these looks that are just not going in, it’s tough. It’s tough, for sure.”
Karl-Anthony Towns:
“I’m putting up to 1500 shots a day.”
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 27, 2024
Either KAT is lying about shooting 1500 shots or he’s actually doing it and is involuntarily tiring his arms out this deep into a Playoff run. His shot has been missing in action this series, with Towns averaging 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, shooting 3-22 from three across the first three games while shooting 27.8% from the field.
We know KAT has incredible shooting ability but it not translating to the most important playoff series of his career likely indicates weaker mental resolve compared to the scorers in Dallas. The Wolves don’t stand a chance without KAT averaging 20+ points, but it seems that won’t be happening in this series.
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