Game ID: 22300944
Minnesota Timberwolves @ LA Clippers
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 34 29 15 22 100MIN 21 34 29 34 118
LAC vs MIN ScoutingLAC vs MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAC availability going into 3/04 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 2 since 3/01, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 32 min since (95% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 19 min since (70% of 27)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 24 min since (141% of 17)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 15 min since (109% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 2 since 3/03, returns tonight: 20 min (140% of 14)
OUT Boston missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 22 min since (131% of 17)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 14 min since (99% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/09 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 35 min since (102% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 19 min since (71% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (93% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 3/01, returns tonight: 26 min (170% of 15)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 3/03, returns tonight: 18 min (178% of 10)
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (77% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (94% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 22 min since (81% of 27)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 13 min since (95% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 18 min since (178% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 6 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 10 min since (73% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 13 min since (133% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/15 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 7 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 2 since 3/12, returns tonight: 24 min (161% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 8 min since (59% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Harden missed 2 since 3/14, returns tonight: 36 min (103% of 35)
OUT Westbrook missed 8 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 25 min since (165% of 15)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 9 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Harden back 3/17 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 23 min since (156% of 15)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 9 min since (93% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 21 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/04 · back-to-backBACK Anderson back 3/03 after 2, 14 min since (68% of 21)
NEW Morris 13 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/07 · 2 days' restOUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 3/03 after 2, 22 min since (101% of 21)
NEW Morris 13 to 19 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/08 · back-to-backOUT McLaughlin missed 3 since 3/03, returns tonight: 11 min (100% of 11)
BACK Anderson back 3/03 after 2, 24 min since (111% of 21)
MIN availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 2 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 3/03 after 2, 27 min since (124% of 21)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 11 min since (100% of 11)
NEW Gobert 34 to 40 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 3 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 2 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 3/03 after 2, 27 min since (124% of 21)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 16 min since (150% of 11)
MIN availability going into 3/16 · 3 days' restOUT Towns missed 4 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 3 since 3/08, returns tonight: 10 min (78% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 16 min since (154% of 11)
NEW Reid 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 30 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 5 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 10 min since (78% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 16 min since (153% of 11)
NEW Reid 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 31 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 3/19 · back-to-backOUT Gobert missed 2 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Towns missed 6 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 13 min since (98% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 17 min since (164% of 11)
NEW Reid 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 32 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 3/22 · 2 days' restOUT Gobert missed 3 since 3/16, returns tonight: 37 min (109% of 34)
OUT Towns missed 7 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 16 min since (123% of 13)
NEW Reid 24 to 29 min over the last 4
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 19 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and George at 22 a game. Without Westbrook (5 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Reid at 17 a game. Without Towns (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 112, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/04 @ MIL 106-113 — LAC notes
LAC lost 106-113. LAC shot 44% (37 of 84) to MIL's 47%, 16 of 40 from three. Harden led with 29 (9 of 16, 5 of 10 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); George added 29, Leonard 16. Q1 was theirs, 35-25, but the other 3 periods went 88-71 against them. They led by as many as 15. Coffey's -17 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/06 @ HOU 122-116 — LAC notes
LAC won 122-116. LAC shot 55% (44 of 80) to HOU's 48%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 26 times to HOU's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. Leonard led with 28 (11 of 18, 1 of 4 from three); Harden added 21, George 21. The hinge was Q4, 42-30: LAC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6. LAC trailed 44-57 at the half and won the second half 78-59. Plumlee was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/09 vs CHI 112-102 — LAC notes
LAC won 112-102. LAC shot 50% (42 of 84) to CHI's 43%, 12 of 35 from three. George led with 22 (8 of 16, 2 of 6 from three); Leonard added 19, Powell 18. The hinge was Q4, 29-17: LAC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 10. LAC trailed 46-57 at the half and won the second half 66-45. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/10 vs MIL 117-124 — LAC notes
LAC lost 117-124. LAC took 17 more shots (104 to 87), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to MIL's 49%, 14 of 47 from three, and got to the line just 10 times against 23 fouls committed. The glass went 52-41 for them. Powell led with 26 (9 of 21, 3 of 14 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Zubac added 18, Coffey 16. Q1 was theirs, 33-29, but the other 3 periods went 95-84 against them. Zubac's -19 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 vs MIN 100-118 — LAC notes
LAC lost 100-118. LAC shot 47% (34 of 72) to MIN's 51%, 11 of 30 from three, and went to the line 25 times to MIN's 14 — 21 points from the stripe to their 10. LAC turned it over 18 times to MIN's 9, and MIN turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 34-48 against them. George led with 22 (5 of 11, 2 of 5 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Harden added 12, Powell 11. Q1 was theirs, 34-21, but the other 3 periods went 97-66 against them. They led by as many as 22. Mann's -20 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 29 and Vučević at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 24 and Harden at 18 a game. Without Westbrook (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-0 a night and Chicago minus-5 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 115 a night to Chicago's 121. Call it the Clippers 115, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
3/15 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 22 and Williamson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Daniels (13 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 23 and Leonard at 20 a game. Without Westbrook (7 straight), Tucker (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the arc, New Orleans at 42 percent from three to the Clippers' 38. Call it New Orleans 117, the Clippers 109.
3/17 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 19 a game. Without Harden (2 straight), Westbrook (8 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 31 and Bogdanović at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Young (10 straight), Okongwu (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 116, Atlanta 112, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/20 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Simons at 27 and Ayton at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Sharpe (31 straight), Hagans (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 21 a game. Without Westbrook (9 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 112, Portland 111, Portland keeping it close.
3/04 vs POR 119-114 — MIN notes
MIN won 119-114. MIN shot 51% (40 of 79) to POR's 49%, 11 of 28 from three, and went to the line 37 times to POR's 11 — 28 points from the stripe to their 8. Gobert led with 25 (9 of 10, 7 of 7 at the line); Conley added 19, Towns 14. The hinge was Q2, 27-22: a lead of 2 became 7, and the lead reached 15. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/07 @ IND 113-111 — MIN notes
MIN won 113-111. MIN shot 47% (46 of 98) to IND's 51%, 7 of 25 from three. MIN turned it over 9 times to IND's 15. Edwards led with 44 (18 of 35, 3 of 7 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Gobert added 18, Reid 13. The hinge was Q1, 33-23: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 17.
3/08 @ CLE 104-113 — MIN notes
MIN lost 104-113 in 1 overtime. MIN shot 41% (39 of 94) to CLE's 43%, 8 of 30 from three, and got to the line 22 times to CLE's 36. Reid led with 34 (10 of 18, 7 of 11 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Edwards added 19, McDaniels 13. Q3 was theirs, 30-25, turning a 4-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 88-74 against them.
3/10 @ LAL 109-120 — MIN notes
MIN lost 109-120. MIN took 14 more shots (97 to 83), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to LAL's 53%, 16 of 46 from three, and got to the line 13 times to LAL's 29. MIN turned it over 11 times to LAL's 19. The glass went 38-56 against them. Reid led with 25 (9 of 17, 5 of 10 from three); Edwards added 25, Alexander-Walker 15. Q2 was theirs, 40-37, the deficit cut from 4 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 83-69 against them. Conley's -24 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 @ LAC 118-100 — MIN notes
MIN won 118-100. MIN shot 51% (48 of 94) to LAC's 47%, 12 of 33 from three, and got to the line 14 times to LAC's 25. MIN turned it over 9 times to LAC's 18. The glass went 48-34 for them. Edwards led with 37 (15 of 29, 2 of 8 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Alexander-Walker added 28, Conley 23. The hinge was Q3, 29-15: MIN came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 22. MIN trailed 55-63 at the half and won the second half 63-37. McLaughlin was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/16 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Clarkson at 24 and Sexton at 22 a game. Without Markkanen (5 straight), Lofton Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 28 and Reid at 18 a game. Without Towns (4 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 112 a night to Utah's 124 and the arc, Utah at 38 percent from three to Minnesota's 33. Call it Minnesota 117, Utah 114, Utah keeping it close.
3/18 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 125, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 24 and Sexton at 21 a game. Without Markkanen (6 straight), Clarkson (2 straight), Lofton Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Reid at 20 a game. Without Towns (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 109 a night to Utah's 125 and the glass, where Utah has been plus-3 a night and Minnesota minus-1. Call it Minnesota 117, Utah 113, Utah keeping it close.
3/19 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 15 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Reid at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Gobert (2 straight), Towns (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 108, shooting 54 percent and 42 from three, 16 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 42 percent from three to Minnesota's 37. Call it Minnesota 112, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
3/22 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 15 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Reid at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Gobert (3 straight), Towns (7 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Garland at 20 and Allen at 18 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), Strus (9 straight), Eva. Mobley (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-2 a night and Minnesota minus-7 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 12 times a game to Minnesota's 9. Call it Minnesota 112, Cleveland 108, Cleveland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
DN D. Nix
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
JM J. Minott
KA K. Anderson
LM L. Miller
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
TW T. Warren
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
BH B. Hyland
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
JM J. Miller
KB K. Brown
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
TM T. Mann
XM X. Moon
MIN/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Anthony Edwards leads big comeback, Kawhi Leonard injured in Timberwolves' 118-100 win over Clippers
LOS ANGELES -- — Anthony Edwards scored 37 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a season-high 28 and the Minnesota Timberwolves roared back from an early 22-point deficit for a 118-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
Kawhi Leonard left the game with back spasms between the first two quarters, the Clippers said. He played the entire first quarter, but he was seen leaving the Clippers' downtown arena during the second quarter.
Mike Conley scored 23 points for the Timberwolves, who avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season with a huge rally following Leonard’s departure. After trailing 57-35 midway through the second quarter in the same building where the Wolves lost to the Lakers two days earlier, Minnesota seized control in the second half and finished the team’s largest comeback since November 2012.
“It was no secret this was probably the biggest game of the season for us so far,” said Conley, who hit five 3-pointers. “Having lost a couple in a row in the way that we lost them, and who we're playing, the Clippers. They're right with us in seeding, and so it meant a lot, and for us to steal this one today ... hopefully sets us up for bigger and better things.”
Rudy Gobert had eight points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game late with a rib injury. Coach Chris Finch wasn't sure of the injury's severity, but he praised Gobert for raising his defensive effort after the Wolves fell far behind, eventually keying their comeback.
“This team believes in itself,” Finch said. “When you play defense the way we’re able to play defense. The ball was really moving at times, too. Got out in transition. We really haven’t really seen us in transition like that. Those were the things we had to do to turn that game around. But this team believes in each other, no matter who we put on the floor. They root hard for each other. It’s good for us to get a win like this, because we’ve been struggling a little bit in the last couple of games to find some consistent energy, and tonight we definitely had it.”
Alexander-Walker hit five 3-pointers during his highest-scoring performance in a Minnesota uniform while the Timberwolves improved to 2-2 on their six-game road trip.
Paul George scored 22 points and James Harden had 12 for the Clippers, who have lost two straight games for only the second time since Christmas. George and Leonard returned after they skipped the Clippers’ home loss to Milwaukee in the club's second home tipoff in 22 hours last Sunday, although Leonard didn’t last long.
“They played tougher than we did, for sure, no doubt,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We can talk about schemes and things, but when things don’t go right, we’ve got to get tougher.”
Lue also said Leonard has been dealing with back woes “for a couple of days. ... Wasn't sure if he was going to go this morning. Tried to get on the court and play today, and it just didn't loosen up on him.”
Although Karl-Anthony Towns is out with the knee injury that's likely to sideline him until the playoffs, Gobert returned from a one-game absence with a right hamstring injury. Gobert then apparently injured his ribs or sternum at some point in the second half, heading to the locker room in obvious pain.
Kyle Anderson had 10 points and seven assists in his return to the Wolves' starting lineup after an absence with right shoulder pain, but guard Monte Morris missed his third straight game with a strained left hamstring.
Minnesota committed six turnovers while falling behind by 15 points in the first quarter, and Los Angeles' lead ballooned to 57-35 midway through the second before the Wolves made a 20-2 run shortly before halftime. The Wolves took their first lead early in the third quarter, and the Clippers managed just 15 points with nine turnovers in the period.
Towns underwent surgery on the torn meniscus in his left knee, and the Timberwolves won't evaluate him for another four weeks. He seems likely to miss the rest of the regular season, but Finch said Towns' absence for much of last season with a calf injury prepared Minnesota for his current absence.
“Everybody goes through a tough stretch at some point (because of injuries),” Finch said. “We're getting it now.”