The Timberwolves cut deeper into the wounds of the Nuggets after taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals on Monday. The convincing 106-80 win over the reigning champions was a massive step towards the next round and could also be a confidence booster, given they missed the presence of Rudy Gobert.
The 3-time Defensive Player Of the Year missed the game due to his wife giving birth to junior Gobert. Missing a key player in the playoffs could’ve had a detrimental effect on the Minnesota team, but Karl-Anthony Towns made sure that wasn’t the case. After the game, in an interview, Towns said, “When you don’t have the Defensive Player of the Year, you have to step your game up.”
He further added, “We all understood the challenge coming in against the defending champions, a really, really good team with some of the best players we’ve ever seen. So we understood the challenge. We just wanted to come here and find a way to win the game.” The Timberwolves got the job done on the night thanks to Anthony Edwards’ 27 points and a solid defensive shift from the team, but KAT made sure Ant-Man doesn’t take all the credit for himself.
Karl-Anthony Towns Leads Timberwolves to Victory
While Anthony Edwards slammed the Nuggets, Karl-Anthony Towns moved to the center role in Gobert’s absence.
Towns not only fulfilled his defensive duties but also stomped forward to bag 27 points from 10-15 shooting. The 12 rebounds and 1 assist also came in handy as the Timberwolves restricted the home side only to double digits.
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Aaron Gordon for the Nuggets led the scoring with his 20, followed by Nikola Jokic’s double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jamal Murray had yet another tough outing against the Wolves, bagging only 8 points and picking up a lot of heat for throwing a heating pack on the court in the second quarter.
After the disappointing game 2 outcome, the Nuggets will visit Minnesota on Friday, where a charged-up Karl-Anthony Towns and Co. will be waiting to put the series out of Denver’s grasp.
Also Read: “We Really Have a Big 15” – Karl-Anthony Towns Disapproves of Timberwolves’ Big 3 Suggestions
