With his 29 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, Anthony Edwards would have made a great MVP, but we prefer him Karl-Anthony Towns for his second half, and especially his second part of the 3rd quarter. Until then in great difficulty, the interior All-Star finally found his footing in this 4th round, and for Charles Barkley, “ he saved Wolves' season“.
Same compliments from Edwards: “KAT played exceptionally! He rose to the challenge, and it was thanks to him that we won. »
It was when Rudy Gobert and Derrick Jones Jr. received a double technical foul that Towns pulled out all the stops. He took advantage of the entry of Max Kleber to attack him, and it worked. The Wolves go 10-3 to take control of the meeting. In penetration or 3-pointers, Towns finally lets loose.
Rapid decision-making
Same scenario in the 4th quarter. Despite his mistakes, Towns stayed on for the rest, and he saw Kyrie Irving give the Mavericks the lead again six minutes from time. And it is he who will score three winning baskets in a row to give back control to the Wolves, who will keep it until the end. Upon arrival, Town finished with 25 points in just 30 minutes on 9 of 13 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Before the match, he was at 28% on shots…
“He started again by going to the circle” underlines Chris Finch. “He made quick decisions as soon as he received the ball. He remained confident. He didn't really look for the 3-point shot until the second half. His support was good, he was ready, and his 3-pointers played a huge role. »
Out for six fouls, Towns also sacrificed himself in defense, and like against the Nuggets, the Wolves saved their skin by finding their defensive collective. “You had to be very good in defense and take a few shots to get by” he explains at the edge of the field. “We were playing here in Dallas against a very good team, and we found ourselves in the second half with three starters, including me, with a foul problem. Our message was simply to survive. »
