Karl-Anthony Towns 'Fully Supportive' of Being Benched by Finch in Mavs vs. Wolves G2
May 25, 2024
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns didn't have an issue with head coach Chris Finch's decision to bench him down the stretch of the team's Game 2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.
"I'm with winning, so whatever it takes to win," Towns said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. "Naz has it going. Coach's decision, I'm fully supportive of my coaching staff. Wouldn't question them one bit. Of course, I'm always going to be ready to play whenever he calls. Naz got it going, our team was playing well."
Towns played just 26 minutes in a 109-108 loss that put the Timberwolves in an early 2-0 hole in the series.
Towns checked out of the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return. Minnesota closed the game with Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson occupying the two frontcourt spots next to Rudy Gobert, while Jaden McDaniels also received some playing time as Towns remained on the bench.
The four-time All-Star could only watch as Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić buried a game-winning triple over Gobert to seal the victory.
Towns finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in his 26 minutes on the floor, although he shot just 4-16 overall which included a 1-5 mark from behind the arc.
After stringing together several impressive performances throughout Minnesota's series victory over the reigning-champion Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, Towns has gotten off to a slow start against Dallas.
He's shooting just 10-36 from the field through two contests, while the Timberwolves have been outscored by five points in his 60 minutes of action (via Basketball Reference). Finch told reporters after the game that Towns has been "pressing" a bit too much.
"With KAT, I think he's just got to calm down," Finch said, per Krawczynski. "I think he's coming out of the gate pressing a little bit, maybe getting off on the wrong foot and then chasing the game."
Towns will attempt to break out of his brief slump and help the Timberwolves avoid falling into a dangerous 3-0 series deficit in Game 3 on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
