Minneapolis/St. Paul – Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has been named to the All-NBA Third Team, the NBA announced today. This is the second such honor of Towns’ career as he earned All-NBA Third Team honors in 2018. Towns becomes the third player in franchise history to be named to multiple All-NBA teams (Kevin Garnett 8x, Kevin Love 2x).
In his seventh NBA season, Towns finished the 2021-22 campaign ranked 11th in scoring (24.6 ppg), 14th in rebounding (9.8 rpg), 16th in field goal percentage (52.9%) and 17th in three-point percentage (41.0%). This year marked Towns' fourth season (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22) averaging 20+ points on 50%+ shooting from the field and 40%+ from three per game, tying Kevin Durant for the most such seasons in the NBA since the three-point line was added in 1979.
Named a Western Conference All-Star for the third time in his career, Towns marked his third All-Star Game appearance on Feb. 20 in Cleveland with nine points, six rebounds and three assists. He became the first center to win the MTN DEW 3-point Contest on All-Star Saturday night, scoring an event record 29 points in the final round, beating out Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and LA Clippers guard Luke Kennard. Towns was also named Western Conference Player of the Week three times this season and marked the seventh time in his career that he has won the weekly award (April 11, 2016, Mar. 13, 2017, Nov. 20, 2017, Oct. 28, 2019, Dec. 20, 2021, Mar. 7, 2022 and Mar. 21, 2022). Towns trails only Kevin Garnett (15 times) for the most Player of the Week honors in Timberwolves history.
In Minnesota’s 149-139 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Mar. 14, Towns erupted for a career-high and franchise record 60 points on a career-high 19-of-31 shooting, including 7-of-11 from three-point range and 15-of-16 from the free throw line. Towns added a season-high-tying 17 rebounds, becoming the first player in NBA history to reach each of those numbers in a game. Towns became the first center with a 60-point game since Shaquille O'Neal (Mar. 6, 2000), a feat achieved by Wilt Chamberlain in a regular season game 32 times in his NBA career. The only other centers to accomplish that feat are George Mikan, David Robinson and O'Neal (once each). Towns scored a franchise-record 32 of his 60 points in the third quarter, marking the fifth-most points scored in a single quarter in NBA history. Per Elias Sports Bureau, over the last 50 years, only three other players have posted a 60+ point/15+ rebound game (Karl Malone 1990, Michael Jordan 1990 and O’Neal 2000).
The Timberwolves finished the season with a 46-36 record, the seventh-best record in club history and clinched a spot in the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2018 and second time in the last 18 years. The Wolves concluded the season with a 26-15 record at Target Center and a 32-20 record against the Western Conference, the second time since 2004-05 with 30+ wins against the West. With the 136-130 victory over the Denver Nuggets on April 1, the Wolves finished the season 12-4 against Northwest Division foes, the most division wins by the team since the division was formed in 2004 and just the third time since 2004 winning 10+ division games. Additionally, Minnesota finished the season winning 10 straight games against Northwest division opponents. The team finished the 2021-22 campaign with 20 road wins for the first time since the 2004-05 season and just the fifth time winning 20+ road games.