Karl-Anthony Towns’ playmaking stands out in painful loss to Clippers

THE Minnesota Timberwolves plays host of the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. A weekend matinee matchup pitted two of the best teams in the Western Conference against each other. Before Sunday, the Wolves had dominated the Clippers this season. With a chance to move to 3-0 in the season series, a win would have been huge for Minnesota’s confidence and their playoff seeding. Cities of Karl-Anthony and Co. looked ready to deliver as they jumped all over the older Los Angeles team to start the game. Despite a double-digit lead in the first quarter, however, they were unable to hold on.

The second quarter started with a big run for the Clippers as they turned a large deficit into a one-point lead before a Chris Finch timeout. From that point on, both teams engaged in 1980s-style defensive play. In the end, the The Clippers outlasted the Timberwolves and won 89-88. Minnesota’s defense stood tall, as it usually does. However, on the other hand, the offense gave another disappointing performance.

But what’s a bit of a positive is that Towns led the Timberwolves with eight assists. Let’s take a look at why KAT’s passing stood out as one of Minnesota’s few offensive bright spots in the loss.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ passing talent was on full display

The biggest advantage Minnesota found Sunday was playing with its star big man. KAT flirted with a triple-double, scoring 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. As the Wolves looked to take advantage of the Clippers’ lack of size, Towns was the go-to option after the game. When Towns catches the ball, his size and skill forced the Clippers into early turnovers.

Looking to double KAT at times, the Clippers’ philosophy of cutting down the floor allowed the Wolves to look sharp from behind the arc.

KAT scores double with timely cross pass pic.twitter.com/4k5doZp1qS

– Sheldon Wohlman (@3swohlman) March 4, 2024

Towns size allows him to comfortably see over a defense and make zip passes like the cross-court dime above. Even outside of standard post-ups, Towns’ ability as a playmaker was on full display. One of his eight assists came on a superb lob from his compatriot Rudy Gobert.

KAT lobs to Rudy Gobert pic.twitter.com/olDNGadSkI

– Sheldon Wohlman (@3swohlman) March 4, 2024

Due to his passing prowess, KAT was the Wolves’ best +14 in the close loss. After the game, ClutchPoints asked Clippers coach Ty Lue on the challenges which Towns presents as a mismatch.

“I just think about showing different looks. We teamed up early to try to keep him off balance. He made some good passes, they made some threes,” Lue said before explaining the difficulty of facing talented players like Towns, noting that “playing against these great players, you show a steady diet of same thing, it’s going to be a difficult evening. .”

Karl-Anthony Towns is a scoring mismatch

To Ty Lue’s credit, the Clippers have tried to handle Karl-Anthony Towns in several ways. Before doubling KAT in the post, the Clippers first tried to guard him one on one. This strategy quickly proved ineffective. Using his size to his advantage, Towns became active early. Scoring 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter, the Wolves big jumped to five for five starts on the court.

With the Clippers willing to change most screens, Minnesota was able to effectively target specific matchups early on. Terance Mann stands out as a target the Wolves like to have faced multiple times during their All-Star run.

The isolation of cities in the face of Terance Mann pic.twitter.com/idKjFlzSGR

– Sheldon Wohlman (@3swohlman) March 4, 2024

Towns’ combination of size and touch makes him a near-impossible cover for someone of Mann’s stature. Minnesota effectively isolated him in the middle of the field where it’s much harder to double-team. Other elite centers in the league, like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, make their living working from the nail. With Towns’ talent level, this is something Finch and the Wolves need to lean on more.

After the game, ClutchPoints asked the Clippers star Paul George on the difficulty of defending Towns and the Clippers’ game planning for him.

“They have personnel that you have to focus on. With Ant, with Karl, you pay a lot of attention to that. Then Rudy is seven feet whatever, standing on the edge, which also poses a threat. To participate in a match like this, you have to prepare for a lot of things.

While Towns took advantage of his opportunities early on as a scorer and passer, the Clippers had the last laugh. Minnesota’s up-and-down offense struggled mightily on Sunday. Failing to score a single fast break point, the Clippers’ transition defense played a huge role in containing Minnesota around Towns.