Karl-Anthony Towns sets a Timberwolves loss with 62 points.
On Monday night, despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ franchise-record 62 points, 44 of which came in the first half, the Charlotte Hornets overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-125.
Towns surpassed his previous Minnesota record of 60, which also stood as his career high. In the fourth quarter, however, Towns scored a mere four points on 2-for-10 shooting as the Timberwolves were defeated 36-18.
Minnesota trailed by one point and he believed he was fouled in a drive towards the basket in the dying seconds; he was also unsuccessful on a three-point attempt with the game in regulation.
After the game, Timberwolves manager Chris Finch criticized his squad, describing their “absolutely revolting defense performance and immature basketball.”
Finch continued by criticizing the Timberwolves’ reaction to Towns’ explosive start, stating that they ceased their pursuit of the optimal play.
“I mean there’s lots of times when, because you’ve scored three or several points in a row, or baskets within a row … you know we’ll continue to attempt to feed a hot hand, look for a hot hand, however at some point, we got to get back to executing the right play, we got to get again to doing the right things,” Finch stated.
Towns, who finished the game with 21 points on 15 attempts from three-point range, ranked among the top three scorers in the Wolves’ 35-year history. “Having a night like that on a loss feels neither very good nor historic,” Towns commented.
With 12 seconds remaining, the Wolves attempted to isolate Towns with an isolation look, but Leaky Black blocked the forward’s layup try and then converted two free throws at the opposing end.
A desperation three by Towns in the closing seconds was ineffective, marking the 21st occasion in NBA history that a player recorded 60 or more points in a defeat. Towns stated that, in light of the defeat, his performance had no silver lining.
“As one of the best teams in the NBA and No. 1 in the Western Conference, there is no time for moral victories, silver linings, or, ‘Great night, but just not the finish we wanted.'” “We must devise a strategy to secure victory,” he declared.
“The objective is to secure victory in the game. Maintaining one’s position as the leading team in the Western region. Enhancing the protection of our home court is of the utmost importance.”
Towns finished the first half with 14 points on 17 attempts from the field and 8 from 9 from three-point range while the Wolves took a 69-64 lead.
A half-high eight 3-pointers fell two short of the NBA record. With 53 points in the first half, David Thompson as well as George Gervin jointly hold the NBA record.
Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges each contributed 27 points for the Hornets, who entered Monday having lost seven of their last eight contests and had the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. In contrast, Minnesota has suffered its second consecutive loss of the season.
On Monday night, Towns established a franchise and career high with 62 points, which he accomplished by making 10-of-15 3-pointers.
He capitalized on Charlotte’s injuries, which resulted in the deployment of an undersized lineup, which featured P.J. Washington at center at 6 feet 7 inches.
Notwithstanding Towns’s performance, the Timberwolves succumbed to a Charlotte squad that entered the game trailing 18-of-20, 128-125.
LaMelo Ball recorded 10 points and 13 assists in his return game following an injury-related absence; Miles Bridges and youngster Brandon Miller each added 28 points and 27 assists, respectively.
Minnesota encountered difficulties on each side of the field. In the absence of Mike Conley, their offense was occasionally clumsy but was saved by the fiery hand of Towns.
The Timberwolves abstained from defensive play for the evening; the Hornets recorded a 125 offensive rating against the team with the greatest defense within the NBA, which had a 109 defensive ranking on the season.
After the game, coach Chris Finch was displeased. An apt description of this team would be “immature,” and in that regard, inconsistent.
The Timberwolves are also prone to extremely low lows, as evidenced by their victory over the Clippers a week ago. However, they are also capable of impressive stretches.