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  • Records double-double
    Towns finished Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds and five assists across 29 minutes.

    Advice: Towns had a couple of clutch buckets in the early stages of the game, but for the most part, he took a backseat in the scoring column as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels carried Minnesota offensively in this win. The Timberwolves need Towns to be at his best if they want to have a shot at winning a complicated Game 7 on the road, and for that to happen, he'll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end of the court, an area in which he hasn't been consistent throughout the series. Towns has reached the 20-point mark in four of the six games he's played in the semis, and the Timberwolves have gone 3-1 in those contests. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:02 pm
     
  • Quiet night Tuesday
    Porter had six points (2-10 FG, 2-7 3Pt), seven rebounds, one assist and two blocks over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 112-97 victory over the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Porter managed just six points in the victory, continuing his recent offensive struggles. He has scored fewer than 10 points in three of the past four games, a very different story compared to how he opened the playoffs. Despite his poor shooting, the Nuggets now sit just one win away from another trip to the Western Conference Finals. Look for Porter to turn things around in the near future. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 11:53 pm
     
  • Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) scores team-high 23 PTS
    Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee soreness) amassed 23 points (10-of-19 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers in 38 minutes in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets.

    Advice: Already playing without Mike Conley (Achilles), the Timberwolves experienced an injury scare with Towns during the first half of Tuesday’s game. He appeared to bang his knee on the leg of Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who lost his balance while closing out on the Timberwolves big. Towns did have to exit the game, but only briefly, as he returned after spending a few minutes on the exercise bike. The 23 points are the most KAT has scored in a game since Game 2 (27 points). However, his minus-17 rating was the worst among the Timberwolves who saw action on Tuesday. Towns will need to be better in Game 6 on Thursday if Minnesota is to force a Game 7. Rotoworld Tuesday, 10:46 pm
     
  • Briefly exits Tuesday
    Towns left Tuesday's game versus the Nuggets with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter due to an apparent left knee injury but checked back in with 1:23 left in the first quarter.

    Advice: Towns appeared to aggravate the left knee that he had surgically repaired in March after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope inadvertently tripped him, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports. However, Towns missed less than a minute of game action and should be available to finish Tuesday's contest. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 8:11 pm
     
  • Struggles from field Sunday
    Towns posted 13 points (5-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists and one steal in 38 minutes during Sunday's 115-107 loss to the Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Towns might have ended with a double-double, and his overall stat line looked decent despite the loss. Still, his shooting woes are impossible to overlook, especially in a game where the Timberwolves needed him to provide a spark on offense. Towns needs to be better offensively for the Wolves. Otherwise, he forces players such as Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley to handle bigger roles on offense, and that's not a recipe for success. Towns is averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field in the series, and he needs to shake off this woeful showing in Game 5 on Tuesday. Rotowire.com Monday, 8:37 am
     
  • Karl-Anthony Towns can’t find his shot in Game 4
    Karl-Anthony Towns accounted for 13 points (5-of-18 FG), 12 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a three-pointer across 38 minutes in Sunday’s 115-107 loss to the Nuggets.

    Advice: Towns scored at least 20 points in Games 1 and 2 of the semifinals in Denver, but he failed to eclipse 14 points at home in Games 3 and 4. Towns has been mostly deferential on offense through eight postseason games, averaging 18.5 points on just 11.5 shots per contest. Anthony Edwards has been doing the heavy lifting as a scorer, and Towns has been chipping in as a rebounder and secondary scoring option. He’ll need to be much more efficient than this in Game 5 on Tuesday if Minnesota hopes to reclaim the series lead. Rotoworld Sunday, 8:15 pm
     
  • Karl-Anthony Towns hits four 3-pointers, scores 14
    Karl-Anthony Towns accumulated 14 points (4-of-7 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), five rebounds, three assists, and four 3-pointers in 33 minutes in Friday’s Game 3 loss to the Nuggets.

    Advice: The good news for Towns is that he shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. The bad is that he attempted seven shots overall, which is inexcusable for an offensive talent of his caliber. Friday’s game was the first in which KAT failed to reach double figures since Game 2 of Minnesota’s first-round sweep of the Suns. While the Timberwolves could get away with that against Phoenix, the reigning champs are different. Towns needs to be more aggressive in Game 4 on Sunday night, with the Timberwolves still holding a 2-1 series lead. Rotoworld Friday, 9:43 pm
     
  • Michael Porter Jr. hits four 3-pointers in Game 3
    Michael Porter Jr. recorded a line of 21 points (6-of-10 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and four 3-pointers in 30 minutes in Friday’s Game 3 win over the Timberwolves.

    Advice: After scoring 20 points in Game 1, Porter had a brutal Game 2. He wasn’t the only Nuggets player who needed to redeem himself in Game 3, and MPJ came through with timely perimeter shooting. He’s scored at least 20 points in six of his last seven playoff games, and he finished Game 3 one blocked shot shy of his third straight full stat line. Also shooting the ball well from three for Denver was Aaron Gordon, who was 3-of-4 from deep and finished with 13 points, two rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 33 minutes. Given the amount of attention Minnesota has paid Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, there will be opportunities for Porter and Gordon to flourish. They took advantage on Friday and must do the same in Game 4 on Sunday. Rotoworld Friday, 9:18 pm
     
  • Strong from deep in 21-point Game 3
    Porter ended with 21 points (6-10 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 5-6 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one steal over 30 minutes in Friday's 117-90 win over the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Porter provided a nice lift offensively for Denver in its first win of the conference semifinals, leading all Nuggets in threes made while ending as one of three players with 20 or more points in Game 3. Porter had a bounce-back performance after failing to reach double figures in scoring in Game 2, and he has now posted 20 or more points in two of the three games against Minnesota. Rotowire.com Friday, 9:17 pm