If there is one thing Wolves rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns has learned in his first NBA season, it's how to move on. With games coming fast and furious, a player can't get derailed by a difficult game or an emotional loss.
That said….
The Wolves host Phoenix tonight at Target Center, and Towns has some particular motivation.
Minnesota lost in Phoenix 107-104 on March 14. Down two, Andrew Wiggins drove to the hoop to tie the score with 4.6 seconds left. Out of a time out P.J. Tucker in-bounded the ball to Mirza Teletovic, who hit an extremely high-arcing, 26-foot three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to win the game over an outstretched Towns.
It is a shot – and a result – that, frankly, bothered Towns a lot.
"I still hold that close to me," Towns said this morning. "I looked at that play a lot. Especially after the game, I was really upset. There are a bunch of stories we could tell you about what happened in the locker room with me, of me being very upset. I felt I could have done a little more to have stopped that shot from going up. I tried my best. … We want to come out and compete at the highest level so we can come out with a win this time.''
--It will be yet another Kentucky reunion tonight, with Towns and Phoenix rookie Devin Booker seeing each other again. The two were Wildcats teammates last season. "He's like my brother," Towns said. "We keep in touch a lot with each other. I can't explain to you how great our relationship is.''
Towns, who has won every Western Conference rookie of the month award this season, was asked if he would be willing to spare at least one for Booker before the season ends.
"We had a conversation about that,'' was all Towns would say.
