Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves have waited a long time to be a playoff team again. Outside an appearance in 2018, Minnesota has had a bleak playoff record, but this season showed that the franchise had finally moved in the right direction when they clinched the 7th seed and a playoff spot this season.
It looked like the team has it in them to pull off a 2-7 upset and qualify for the second round over the Memphis Grizzlies. They have had multiple double-digit leads across games, showing they can put distance between them and the Grizzlies. The issue is that they have failed to close out these games.
Memphis came back from two separate 20-point deficits in Game 3 and overcame a 13-point deficit tonight to win the game, clinched by a Ja Morant game-winner with a second on the clock. Minnesota star big-man KAT had a solid performance but spoke about how this loss was a tough one to accept after the game.
"It's a tough pill to swallow."
KAT reacts to the Game 5 loss to Memphis. pic.twitter.com/OWafEas3nF
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) April 27, 2022
“Its disappointment obviously. It’s a tough pill to swallow. You feel like after all the mistakes made, we had a big three to tie the game up. With four seconds, you feel pretty good about going into overtime and having a chance to win the game. You know, just learning experiences.”
The Wolves find themselves in a must-win situation, as another loss spells the end of their fairytale season. With the next game taking place at their home, the Wolves will hope to rally their crowd and pull the win off. KAT already has spoken about how they play better at home, so that better come true next game.
Memphis will be looking to close the series out as soon as possible, as a Game 7 will be way too risky for this young team to try and go through this early in the post-season. The winner of this series will face the experienced Golden State Warriors or Denver Nuggets, so getting time to rest is going to be valuable for them.
