"This might really be what movies are made of"- NBA fans applaud Karl-Anthony Towns for carrying Timberwolves past the Warriors
Karl-Anthony Towns hit a dagger three-pointer that pushed the Minnesota Timberwolves to a crucial 99-96 win over the Golden State Warriors. “KAT” played in just his second game after a 52-game absence due to a calf injury.
Fans quickly reacted to the Timberwolves’ thrilling win on the road, which snapped a 12-game losing skid at Chase Center:
“This might really be what movies are made of”:
@NBA This might really be what movies are made of https://t.co/h3JOdeFsRj
@GoIdenState our chance to avoid Play In https://t.co/u7P7ysxaGa
@GoIdenState Draymond should do podcast less and get more sleep.
@GoIdenState Warriors getting 7th seed then getting swept by Memphis
@GoIdenState Finna fall into the play in
@GoIdenState and we fuck the Lakers over so... W https://t.co/PdihvrMAWd
@NBA Jordan Poole with the 140 million dollar turnover to lose the warriors the game
@NBA Watching SlowMo play on a nightly basis has been so great
@NBA Wolves went 8 MINUTES without scoring and still somehow won
@NBA Kyle Anderson is amazing
The Golden State Warriors lost at home for just the eighth time this season. It was a loss, though, that could haunt them later.
The defending NBA champs trailed for most of the fourth quarter. They were down 84-75 with 10 minutes left in the game. Klay Thompson's three-pointer pushed them to a 91-89 lead with a little over three minutes left in the final period.
Jordan Poole’s corner three gave the Warriors their last lead of the game at 96-94. Two crucial errors from Poole and Draymond Green on consecutive possessions, however, allowed the Timberwolves to bounce back for the win. Poole’s pass went off Steph Curry’s hands while Green was picked off by Kyle Anderson.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ rainbow shot with 9.9 seconds brought Minnesota to the top 98-96. A free throw from the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert off a Draymond Green foul resulted in the final score. Steph Curry had a potential game-tying corner three but his shot was wide right.
The Golden State Warriors’ loss dropped them to 39-37 and back to sixth in the tightly-contested Western Conference standings. They’re just half a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves (38-37) from getting into the dangerous play-in tournament.
Had the Warriors won, they would have won the season series against the Timberwolves 3-1. Instead they’re tied at 2-2 and potentially allowing Minnesota to win the tiebreaker (conference record). Golden State is 25-21 in the West while the Timberwolves are 26-20.
Karl-Anthony Towns' return from a long layoff means he's well-rested and could pay huge dividends for the Timberwolves in their last remaining games.
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves could meet the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs
Only 2.5 games separate the fourth seed Phoenix Suns (39-35) from the 10th seed OKC Thunder (37-38) in the Western Conference standings. With roughly 5-6 games left for these teams, anything can still happen.
Karl-Anthony Towns' return could push the Minnesota Timberwolves to a better position in the wild, wild west. A matchup between the Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors could even happen in the first-round of the postseason.
The Suns are shaky, having lost six of their last eight games, while the LA Clippers will not have Paul George for the reason of the season. LA is also waiting for the extent of Kawhi Leonard's facial injury.
The two teams who the Warriors and the Timberwolves are directly chasing are quite vulnerable. There's still a chance that Golden State and Minnesota could end up as the fourth and fifth seeds in their conference.
After tonight's back-and-forth battle, things should get more interesting when the stakes are higher.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid, Minnesota's imposing frontline, gave the defending champions fits on defense. Golden State's guard-heavy lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole will be raring to go up against this challenge.
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