Karl-Anthony Towns evades foul trouble in big night

MEMPHIS – Karl-Anthony Towns danced around foul trouble all night, picking up two in the first quarter and finishing with four before the end of the third quarter.

But in the end it didn't affect him much as he had another monster effort in the Wolves' 112-99 win over Memphis.

Towns scored 33 points and had 23 rebounds, the seventh time this season he has scored at least 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a game. The Wolves may be out of playoff contention but Towns still has something to play for – if he makes another All-NBA team, his maximum contract extension can increase from around $158 million over the next five years to around $190 million. Night like Saturday will help with that.

As for the evaded foul trouble, Towns brushed it off.

"I'm used to it," Towns said. "Just find a way to be productive even with fouls and try to be the best version of myself. We needed to get a win, especially on the road."

Interim coach Ryan Saunders said he thought Towns dealt with the foul trouble well.

"He kept his head nicely tonight," Saunders said. "He didn't let things get to him. His teammates were really good with him during timeouts, when he was on the bench. He did a good job of keeping his composure."

"It doesn't surprise me," Andrew Wiggins said. "He's been amazing this year, especially the All-Star break. He's just been doing things that are unreal."
Wiggins has an efficient night
Wiggins had one of his most efficient games in a while, scoring 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting.

"He's been really aggressive the last few games," Saunders said. "That's what we're looking for. … We're going to continue to work to improve. That was one of the challenges that's been put in front of Andrew, and it's nice when guys accept those challenges."

At times, Wiggins handled point guard duties with Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose out for the remainder of the season, something that will be the norm the rest of the season.