“Next question,” answered Karl-Anthony Towns, cutting off The Athletic’s Jon Krawcyznski as the esteemed reported tried to get an answer to why Towns attempted only four shots while the Timberwolves’ pulled off a collapse of epic proportions in Thursday night’s Game 3 loss to the Grizzlies.
“Go home, drink some wine. Move on to the next day,” he said after another question about the demoralizing loss in which the Timberwolves let Memphis trim a 26-point lead to seven in the second quarter and then reverse a 25-point deficit with 2:57 left in the third quarter by outscoring the Wolves 50-16 over the final 14:57 of the game.
After Charles Barkley ripped the Wolves by calling them “dumb as a rock” and “embarrassing for basketball” immediately after the game, Barkley went in on the Wolves again later in the night during the NBA on TNT‘s coverage of the Warriors-Nuggets series.
“I can’t believe his answers. Next question? Dude, this is like two times in the last week in playoff situations you get more fouls than points and rebounds and your answer is ‘next question’ and ‘I’m just gonna go drink me some wine.’ That’s bogus, man. That’s total BS,” said Barkley.
“Dude, you were the No. 1 pick in the draft. You’re supposed to be a franchise player,” he continued. “You gotta play better, man. There’s never an excuse, never, for a guy who’s an All-Star to get 6 [points], 5 [rebounds] and 5 fouls in a two-week period in must-win situations.”
Barkley then again attacked the team’s mental fortitude and slammed head coach Chris Finch.
“I picked Minnesota to win this series because they got talent, but they got no brains whatsoever. They got a coach who last game let his two best players get four fouls in the first half. And tonight he let a 21-0 run – a 21-zip run in a playoff game – and did not call a timeout. They scored 21 straight points and this dude did not call one single a timeout. It’s just embarrassing.”
Barkley added: “I’m just mad, man, because I hate bad coaching. And when your team is this young and dumb you gotta say, ‘let me help you.’ They did it in the first half, he didn’t help them, and the second half he didn’t help them either. That’s what I’m pissed about as a player.”
A layup by D’Angelo Russell put the Wolves up 79-54 with 3:10 left in the third quarter. A free throw by Ja Morant began the 50-16 run, and while Memphis was killing it the Wolves were jacking up long-range bricks.
Minnesota shot 3-of-18, including 1-of-8 from 3-point range over the final 15+ minutes of the game. The shots:
- Russell missed 23-foot jump shot
- Vanderbilt missed layup
- Prince missed layup
- Beasley made layup
- Beasley missed mid-range shot
- Edwards missed 26-foot three
- Beasley missed 25-foot three
- Beasley missed 25-foot three
- Russell missed 15-foot jumper
- Russell missed 25-foot three
- Reid made short shot
- Beverley missed 26-foot three
- Edwards missed 25-foot three
- Russell missed 26-foot three
- Towns made 20-foot jumper
- Beverley missed 25-foot three
- Edwards made three
