CHICAGO – New Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has said he wants to get the ball to Karl-Anthony Towns as much as possible, so much so that guard Ricky Rubio said the only plays Finch has had time to install so far are designed to run through Towns.
When asked Tuesday what needs to happen for the Wolves to be better in late-game situations, rookie Anthony Edwards just shook his head and said, "Put the ball in KAT's hands."
There was one problem with that strategy in overtime for the Wolves in their 133-126 loss to the Bulls — Towns wasn't on the floor. He fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
"It was a little bit deflating for our guys," Finch said of Towns fouling out. "He gives you a guy to go to when the ball is in his hands and things feel calm."
Former Wolves guard and newly minted All-Star Zach LaVine bolstered his status as the one that got away with 35 points to lead the Bulls, who scored the first seven points of the extra session to pull away in a game it had led most of the second half. Malik Beasley had 25 points for the Wolves as they fell to 0-2 in the Finch era.
"If it was a different moment of the season, we could figure things out," Rubio said. "But now with a new coach, playing through [Towns] all the time and basing our offense through him, it was hard to really find a rhythm in the overtime."
The game only got to overtime because of a curious string of events.
The Bulls had the ball leading 117-116 after a Towns miss with around 31 seconds left — a seven-second difference between the shot and game clocks. Towns and Beasley trapped LaVine near the sideline, but an official ruled Towns fouled LaVine, ending Towns' night with 24 points and eight rebounds.
