It was another frustrating night for Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves after the team dropped another tough loss. The Wolves lost a high-scoring affair against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, 141-137, and Towns perfectly summed up his team's lack of effort from the get-go. Minnesota was down big in the opening half and needed to mount a late rally in the fourth to keep things close which, according to Towns, is totally unacceptable.
“I think we kind of plan the game to go 48 minutes, so we kind of lollygag,” Towns said (via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). “I think that's what everyone's seeing. We're playing the game, but we're not playing to win the game early on. We gotta play to win from the top and just kind of get rid of the opponent.”
KAT: "I think that we kind of plan the game to go 48 minutes, so we kind of lollygag. I think that’s what everyone’s seeing. We’re playing the game, but we’re not playing to win the game early on. … We gotta play to win from tip and just kind of get rid of the opponent."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 8, 2021
Lollygag was the perfect description for the Wolves' first-half effort on Wednesday. Indiana came out with more energy and mounted an early 22-point lead by halftime. This was only the time when Towns and his team decided to play and keep things close. Behind another impressive evening from Towns, the Wolves clawed their way back and outscored the Pacers by 17 in the second half. Unfortunately, they still came up short with Indiana holding on to a slim four-point margin when time expired.
This season hasn't been an ideal one for the entire Minnesota franchise. Key members like D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and even Towns himself, have missed time which has ultimately affected the team's chemistry and overall performance. Even with lottery pick Anthony Edwards balling out in the second half of the season, it's been tough for the Timberwolves to get on the winning column as they continue to boast the worst record in the league.