Karl-Anthony Towns (#32) celebrates recording an assist on a basket made by D’Angelo Russell (#0) of the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter of the game at Target Center on March 19, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Bucks 138-119. (Getty Images via AFP)
LOS ANGELES – Karl-Anthony Towns kept up his scoring streak with 25 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of the injury absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to rout the Milwaukee Bucks 138-119 on Saturday.
Towns, who has averaged just under 40 points a game in three appearances this week after a monster 60-point outing on Monday, was six-of-12 from the field, with 11 rebounds and five assists at Minnesota’s Target Center.
The 26-year-old’s form has helped the Timberwolves to a four-game winning streak, victories which keep the club firmly in the hunt for an automatic playoff berth.
Saturday’s win leaves the Timberwolves in seventh place in the Western Conference standings, level with sixth-placed Denver with 42 wins.
Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves goes up for a shot while George Hill of the Milwaukee Bucks defends in the first quarter of the game at Target Center on March 19, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Getty Images via AFP)
The reigning NBA champion Bucks meanwhile dropped to third in the Eastern Conference standings at 44-27.
The Bucks’ trip to Milwaukee had been made more challenging shortly before tip-off with news that Antetokounmpo was out of the starting line-up with knee soreness.
Minnesota duly asserted themselves early on, outscoring the Bucks by an identical 34-28 margin in each of the first two quarters to lead 68-56 at half-time.
They raced into a 24-point lead by the end of the third quarter, effectively killing off the contest down the stretch.
Towns was backed with 25 points from Anthony Edwards, while D’Angelo Russell added 16. Taurean Prince and Naz Reid chipped in with 14 points each from the bench.
Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton all finished with 15 points apiece for Milwaukee.