The Dallas Mavericks came into Target Center on Wednesday night rather short-handed. Missing Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II among others, the Mavs were facing a tough test. The Minnesota Timberwolves, the West’s 1-seed, have been great at home all season, especially against undermanned teams.
With the home team finding itself in this situation once again, all signs pointed to a big Minnesota win. However, the first few quarters were a slugfest. The Wolves held a narrow 52-48 lead at halftime. Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points at that point, but wasn’t content there. The star big man took the game by the throat in the second half, leading the Timberwolves to a 121-87 win over the Mavericks.
Karl-Anthony Towns' excellent 3rd quarter proves difference
Karl-Anthony Towns was a man on a mission all night in Minneapolis. The talented seven-footer quickly built upon his efficient first half with a dominant third quarter, leading the way for the Wolves' offense. Scoring 11 third-quarter points, KAT pushed his game total up to a game-high 29 points with the final frame yet to play. At that point, shooting 11-15 from the field and 4-6 from deep, his efficiency fueled Minnesota’s success once again.
Behind KAT’s fantastic quarter, the Wolves were able to balloon the lead up to 13 heading into the fourth quarter. Towns’ impact came in more ways than just scoring the rock on Wednesday night. He also Minnesota in rebounding, snagging nine rebounds. In addition to his impressive scoring and rebounding numbers, Towns tossed some timely dimes in the win as well, finishing with four assists.
Towns displayed his all-around offensive prowess all night long. As Minnesota ran away with the game, Towns didn't play in the fourth quarter, finishing with 29 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Let’s analyze why Towns was able to dismantle Dallas’ defense with such ease on Wednesday night.
KAT's decisiveness continues driving scoring binge
Coming into this game, Towns had been filling up the stat sheet in a big way. Over his previous five games, the Wolves’ big man averaged 31.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Wednesday night was more of the same due to Towns’ readiness to play off the catch. KAT’s at his best when he’s decisive with the ball in his hands and making his move before the defense can load up on him.
Towns’ pull-up triple here comes from Minnesota’s horns flare series. Oftentimes, Towns is able to simply catch and shoot after the Rudy Gobert flare screen. However, this time Dallas does a good job communicating the action and forces Towns to instead put it on the deck. Minnesota, though, leverages their unique size in situations like this.
Towns and Gobert run a high pick-and-roll immediately after the catch. With Dallas worried about Gobert’s rim rolling, Towns sees enough daylight against the Mavericks' drop coverage to pull the trigger on the off-the-dribble triple. This play is a beautiful culmination of scheme mixed with clean execution from Towns’ readiness to attack off the catch.
In this instance, Minnesota runs a scissor action as Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker turn a dribble handoff into a high pick-and-pop with Towns as the screener. McDaniels does a nice job attacking off the screen to put pressure on Dallas’ defense. Grant Williams, KAT’s defender, is forced to help contain the ball. As a result, KAT is left wide open. Despite a Jaden Hardy closeout, the seven-footer knows he’s too tall and too talented for a guard to bother his shot.
As the Timberwolves continue to search for offensive production, their ability to rely on Towns in the flow of the game should be the pinnacle of their planned attack. His recent streak of gaudy scoring outputs is a direct result of his decisiveness playing off the basketball.
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