Karl-Anthony Towns lit the Warriors up to give the Timberwolves a much-needed win

If you watched the Timberwolves and Warriors take the court Sunday night, you were probably in awe of a young seven-footer who dominated the game for Minnesota. That’s because Karl-Anthony Towns rose to the occasion when his team needed him most, helping Minnesota secure a critical victory without their all-star forward on the floor.

Towns lit Golden State up for 31 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. He grabbed 16 rebounds and scored every way possible to lead the Wolves to a 109-103 win over a Warriors team without Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, and David West.

Towns caught alley-oops:

He bullied Draymond Green:

And when the Wolves needed a basket in crunch time, he hit Green with a turnaround fadeaway for the basket that all-but sealed the deal:

He also shot 2-of-5 from downtown.

It was a welcome game for Towns, who had scored just 20 points in his last two games combined. More importantly, it gave the Timberwolves a much-needed victory in the cowboy shootout that is the Western Conference playoff race.

The Wolves’ victory moved them into a virtual three-way tie with the Pelicans and Thunder for the No. 4-6 seed in the West. Only 3.5 games separate the No. 3 seed (Portland) from the No. 10 seed (Utah). Two losses here and two losses there could send a shoo-in playoff team like Minnesota to outside of the playoff race, and the Wolves had already lost four of their last six entering Sunday’s victory after losing Jimmy Butler to a torn meniscus.

At this juncture in the regular season, no team can afford to drop a game. That’s why Towns’ 31-point outburst was critical for the Wolves’ playoff hopes. Butler is expected to return for the playoffs, but someone has to carry Minnesota until his return.

Wiggins scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, but when the game was tight down the stretch, the Timberwolves went to Towns, and he delivered. He is an all-star after all, and Minnesota will need him to play like one if they’re going to make it out of the West in one piece.

If his 31-point game against the Warriors is any indication of how he’ll play for the rest of the season, the Timberwolves should be in good hands until Butler gets back. And probably well after that.