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Karl-Anthony Towns celebrated his 28th birthday while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The three-time All-Star was going to be in the limelight due to the big event.
Many are also expecting him to put on another show following his impressive performance on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, though, he hasn’t had the night that would be fitting for a birthday blast.
Towns, like the rest of his teammates, is struggling. The second night of a back-to-back hasn’t helped them against the Suns. It didn’t help that Drew Eubanks did this to him:
Rudy Gobert was forced to defend Kevin Durant behind the 3-point line following a switch.
Once the Frenchman committed to impede KD, Eubanks decisively rolled to the basket. Karl-Anthony Towns was just a step late to provide help defense, which allowed the Suns’ backup big man to throw down the emphatic dunk.
Drew Eubanks’ dunk was part of a crippling 41-25 second-quarter edge that the Phoenix Suns had built. The Suns headed into the half-time break with a 76-54 lead. Minnesota looked listless. They were late late in rotations and sloppy with their execution on offense.
The Suns held an 85-65 lead with 7:49 left in the third quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns has 18 points, while Drew Eubanks nearly matched him point for point with 13. Devin Booker is pacing all scorers with 24.
Karl-Anthony Towns is playing second fiddle to Anthony Edwards this season
From 2016-17 until arguably last season, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the Minnesota Timberwolves main man. The arrival of Anthony Edwards in 2020 had fans wondering how long the big man’s status as the franchise player for the Timberwolves remains.
Slowly but surely, Edwards has taken that mantle from KAT. The playoffs last season was perhaps “Ant-Man’s” emergence as the team’s best player. The athletic rookie gallantly tried to carry the team against eventual champions Denver Nuggets. While Edwards flourished in the series, Towns largely disappeared.
A few games into this season, it has been quite clear that Edwards is the alpha in the lineup. Players now look to him to lead them instead of Karl-Anthony Towns. The big man might have his moments like what he did against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, but it seems the Timberwolves are now Edwards’ team.
Anthony Edwards is averaging a team-high 27.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Towns is putting up 20.6 points, the lowest since his rookie season, with 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.
With the way things are going, Edwards is likely heading to another All-Star selection. Towns, meanwhile, could be at home watching his teammate play in the enviable game in February.
