Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns understands that every game counts in the Western Conference, which is why he went as far as to say that Sunday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was “traumatic”:
Towns: "For us, if we want to be in the playoffs, this was kind of a traumatic loss. We have to get back to the drawing board."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) December 2, 2019
Towns had every reason to be frustrated. He shot just 7-of-20 from the field and 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Timberwolves were inefficient as a team, shooting below 39 percent for the contest.
The Grizzlies found a way to get the job done without rookie point guard Ja Morant, who will miss time and is considered week-to-week with back spasms.
Dillon Brooks scored 26 points, and the Grizzlies bench outscored Minnesota's second unit 53-35 for the game. They also forced 16 turnovers and knocked down 16 three-pointers.
The Timberwolves fell to 10-9, but they are still in the playoff picture. That said, losing to a bottom-feeder like the Grizzlies (6-13) can do quite a lot to kill momentum. Minnesota had rattled off consecutive road wins against the Hawks and Spurs, but they stumbled at home.
Towns and Andrew Wiggins have helped the Timberwolves become one of the deadlier offenses in the NBA, but turnover problems are giving opponents extra possessions. Minnesota entered Sunday's contest averaging nearly 16 turnovers per game, which ranks 20th in the league.
Indeed, the Timberwolves came into Sunday ranked a very respectable 12th in defensive rating. However, the added possessions resulted in a 114.4 opponents scoring average, which ranked 23rd.
Minnesota has the talent to make a run at the playoffs in the Western Conference. But as Towns suggests, they have to take care of business against the teams in the bottom half of the standings.
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