After the worst game of his professional career coming at the worst possible time, Karl-Anthony Towns is grateful that his teammates picked up his slack in Tuesday’s come-from-behind win over the Clippers in the play-in tournament.
“They stayed ready, even when it wasn’t my best night it was their best night. And that’s what makes it so special and so dangerous. It doesn’t need to be all our nights, it just needs to be one of our nights,” Towns said Thursday.
The Clippers were able take Towns out of the game, figuratively and literally, and Towns expects a similar approach to be taken by the Grizzlies when the best-of-seven series against the Wolves begins at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Towns picked up four fouls in the first half against the Clippers and didn’t make a shot until midway through the third quarter. He finished with 11 points and wound up fouling out with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left in the game.
“I have enough experience and I’ve been in this league long enough and been more than enough in one year, I’ve got to be smarter. Especially on the last one, sometimes maybe the best play is not to go get a rebound,” Towns said. “I knew the game was close, I knew it was the fourth quarter, I knew every possession matters.”
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Towns’ sixth foul was called when he was overly aggressive trying to grab a rebound.
“Just the look of it, I shouldn’t put myself in that position. I’ve got to do better than that, more discipline,” he said. “If that’s how the adversity for me is going to be this time around, I’ve got to be very disciplined.”
Towns said he’s “not trippin’ at all,” adding that he’s in a “good space” and “ready to really go” when the first round playoff series begins Saturday.
Game 1 starts at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN and Bally Sports North.
