Karl-Anthony Towns has clearly missed playing basketball the last few days.
The Wolves’ star big man returned to the lineup on Monday after missing two games due to concussion-like symptoms following a car accident that occurred before the Wolves traveled to New York to take on the Knicks on Friday. On Monday, Towns was back in the Wolves’ lineup—and in a big way.
Towns finished with a monstrous line of 34 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He shot a ridiculous 72.2 percent from the field and hit three three-pointers.
It’s easy to see when a player is enjoying their time on the floor, and Towns’ energy, aggressiveness and joy were contagious. This is the kind of stat line that represents the best of Towns—a little bit of everything, incredibly efficient and insanely productive. Towns was also great on defense tonight. While Towns didn’t post the gaudy defensive stats he has at other times this season, he maintained good position and altered the flow of the game on that end of the floor. As the leader of this team, that’s crucial. When Towns sets a tone like he did tonight, the Wolves will be a very tough team to defeat.
Before the game, Towns talked about how he didn’t like being away from the game. No player likes being injured but having never missed a game in his NBA career, it’s understandable that sitting on the sidelines is not something that Towns is used to. Towns traveled to New York and Milwaukee to support his teammates even though he wasn’t able to play. Though his cheerleading and support from the bench were nice things to have when the team was on the road, it’s clearly better for Minnesota to have Towns on the court.
Towns played on Monday like he knew he was the best player on the floor. He didn’t force things, but he owned the arena—and rightfully so. There was nobody on the Kings who could stop Towns. He aggressively hunted out opportunities in the paint and chased down every board in his vicinity. Towns put the team on his back on Monday and helped them earn an incredibly crucial victory.
It’s been a remarkable season for Towns, and the Wolves will need more fireworks from the big man down the stretch. This win is huge, but the Wolves still have a long way to go in order to make the playoffs. The margin for error is razor-thin and Minnesota will need every ounce of Towns’ talent to propel them to the heights they know they are capable of reaching. If he keeps playing like he did Monday night, the Wolves will be in good shape.