Karl-Anthony Towns' historic pursuit put the Timberwolves to shame.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch accused the team of “downplaying the game” in a 128-125 loss to the Hornets, which was a one-man show as Towns tried to break the scoring record after scoring 44 points in the first half. criticized.
“It was an absolutely terrible performance by defense and inexperienced basketball the whole game,” Finch told reporters after the game.
“So it didn't actually slide down, it was there from the time you jumped. This is what happens when you take this kind of approach.”
Towns scored 62 points on 35 shot attempts, 24 more than his closest teammate.
The Timberwolves led by 15 points after the third quarter, but the Hornets, who currently had a 10-31 lead, took the lead 36-18 in the fourth quarter.
“At halftime I said, 'Why don't we just start getting back to who we are, playing defense and letting this game get to the point where we're missing shots and they're making a lot of shots?' Let's not have that.' And we're behind.' That's what I said at halftime,” Finch said.
In the final seconds, trailing 126-125, the Timberwolves predictably fed Towns, but Towns was swarmed by a Hornets defender on his way to the basket.
Leaky Black stole the ball and made two free throws before Towns missed a desperation three at the buzzer that would have tied the game.
“Once he hit the first six or seven shots, everyone wanted to see him get 100 points. I know he did,” he said, making just one shot attempt in the first half. said star forward Anthony Edwards.
“(We) were raw as fuck tonight…We wanted to see him get an 80 or whatever. We'll learn from it.”
At 30-13, the Timberwolves are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, with a half-game lead over the Thunder.
