The Minnesota Timberwolves avoided a series sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks with a 105-100 win in Game 4 on Tuesday. While a fair few on the Timberwolves stepped up in the contest, Anthony Edwards believes the biggest reason they won was Karl-Anthony Towns.
“Everything came together for him,” Edwards said. “He was super confident. He wasn’t worried about any shots previous to the shots that he hit tonight. He played exceptionally well and he came through big time. He was the reason we won tonight.”
🗣️ "He came through big time, he's the reason we won tonight"
Ant was full of praise for KAT. pic.twitter.com/JrwNfhGdI3
— NBA UK (@NBAUK) May 29, 2024
Towns had a whole lot of criticism come his way for just how poorly he had played in the first three games of this series. The 28-year-old had averaged 15.0 points on 27.8% shooting from the field in those games but came through for his team here.
Towns had 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist in Game 4 while going 9-13 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc. The four-time All-Star had a game-high 10 points in the fourth quarter as he hit some big clutch shots to help the Timberwolves get over the line.
I must say, I am glad for Towns that he finally had one good game in the series here. He had played ever so well in the first two rounds against the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets, but all that seemed to have been brushed aside due to his struggles against the Mavericks.
As for Edwards, he had a game-high 29 points to go with 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The 22-year-old has looked more like his usual self in the last two games and the Timberwolves would be hoping he keeps this up.
Anthony Edwards And Karl-Anthony Towns Have Hilarious Exchange About Fouling Out
While Edwards was quite serious in that earlier clip, you know any press conference involving him and Towns is going to have a fair few hilarious moments. At one point, a reporter asked the big man about his foul troubles and a funny exchange between the teammates followed.
Anthony Edwards: “You fouled out? Fouled out? What did I tell you about fouling?”
Karl-Anthony Towns: “What you mean? You had five.”
Anthony Edwards: “But I didn’t foul out.”
Karl-Anthony Towns: “Nearly fouled out. I do what I need to do.”
Anthony Edwards: “I’mma beat him on the bus y’all.”
Karl-Anthony Towns: “Get outta here. Don’t believe that.”
Ant says he's beating up KAT on the bus for fouling out 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/A2IwJ5nMRQ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 29, 2024
He has always stressed just how important it is for the team that KAT stays out of foul trouble. During the Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, Edwards said that the Timberwolves can win pretty much every time if Towns doesn’t foul.
Towns ended up fouling out in this Game 4 with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but it didn’t end up costing the Timberwolves. For their sake, I hope he stays out of foul trouble in Game 5.
Charles Barkley Also Praised Karl-Anthony Towns
Charles Barkley was one of Towns’ biggest critics after Game 3 but he was very impressed by what he saw from him in Game 4. Like Edwards, Barkley also stated that Towns was the reason the Timberwolves won the game.
“Karl-Anthony Towns played ball tonight,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA. “… Karl-Anthony Towns, we have been waiting on him. (Shaquille O’Neal) has been saying it, ‘Your stars have to play like stars.’ He’s been awful in the series, plain and simple.
“He saved the Timberwolves’ season tonight,” Barkley continued. “So just give him his flowers, he deserves it. We criticize (him) when he doesn’t play well, we gotta give him his flowers because, without question, he won that game for them tonight.”
Chuck: "He [KAT] saved the Timberwolves' season tonight. So just give him his flowers, he deserves it." 🤝 pic.twitter.com/f2SX6TgxTj
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 29, 2024
Towns certainly is worthy of praise but he now needs to keep this up. If he can help the Timberwolves win Game 5 in Minnesota, then things will get a little bit interesting, as all the pressure would be on the Mavericks in Game 6.
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