Chris Finch on the defeat after Karl-Anthony Towns 62 – “Immature basketball”
MINNEAPOLIS – Karl Anthony cities scored a franchise record 62 points, including 44 in the first half, but the Charlotte Hornets erased an 18-point deficit and stunned the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-125 on Monday evening.
Towns surpassed his previous career high of 60, which was also the Minnesota record.
However, Towns managed just four points on 2-for-10 shooting in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves fell 36-18. He thought he was fouled in the final seconds on a drive to the basket when Minnesota was trailing, then missed a 3-point attempt on the final possession.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch commented on his team after the game, calling it an “absolutely disgusting display of defense and immature basketball.” Finch continued to criticize how the Timberwolves responded to Towns' hot start, saying they stopped looking for the right play.
“I mean, there's a lot of times where just because you've scored two, three or four points in a row or baskets in a row, you know that we're obviously going to try to feed a hot hand, look for it.” “A hot one Hand, but at some point we have to play the right game again, we have to do the right things again,” said Finch.
Towns finished the game 21-for-35 from the floor, including 10-for-15 from 3-point range, and now has the three best shots in the Wolves' 35-year history.
“To have a losing night like that doesn’t feel particularly good or historic,” Towns said.
The Wolves made an isolation attempt on Towns with 12 seconds left, but Leaky black blocked his layup attempt and hit two free throws at the other end.
Towns' missed Desperation 3 in the final second made this the 21st time in NBA history that a player scored 60 or more points in a loss.
Towns said there was no glimmer of hope in his performance given the loss.
“We’re No. 1 in the West, one of the best teams in the NBA; there's no time for moral victories, bright spots, 'great night but just not the finish we wanted.' “We have to find a way to win,” he said. “It's about winning the game. It's about remaining No. 1 in the West. It’s about better protecting our home court, and most importantly above all.”
In the first half, Towns was 14 of 17 from the field and 8 of 9 from 3-point range as the Wolves took a 69-64 lead. The eight 3-pointers made in one half were two shy of the NBA record. David Thompson and George Gervin share the NBA record for points in a first half with 53.
mile bridges scored 28 points and Brandon Miller had 27 for the Hornets, who had lost seven of their last eight games and had the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference entering Monday. Minnesota has now lost two games in a row for the second time this season.
“Like I said, there are a lot of ways to be immature,” Finch said. “There are always many ways to be immature. There were a lot of immature performances here across the squad. We showed complete disregard for the game and ourselves and got exactly what we deserved.”
Towns' goal performance was dwarfed by Joel Embiid'S 70 point night for the Philadelphia 76ers in their victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Towns and Embiid became the fourth pair of NBA players to each score at least 60 points on the same day, and the first since David Thompson (73) and George Gervin (63) in 1978, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
