On Monday night, Karl-Anthony Towns had the highest-scoring game of his career. He dropped 60 points, including 32 points in the 3rd quarter alone, in a 149-139 win over the San Antonio Spurs. KAT dominated the Spurs defense, shooting an incredible 19 for 31 from the field and 7 from 11 from 3-point range.
KAT set the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise record for points in a game, beating his own record of 56. He became the first center to drop 60 points in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did it in 2000. He also joined James Harden as one of only two players in NBA history to have 60 points, 15 rebounds, and at least five made threes. KAT also holds the title for most points in a game this season, passing Trae Young and LeBron James, who had 56 in a game earlier this season.
However, not all of the points came easily. The Spurs were incredibly physical in the first half, and the refs let them play through it. Towns got to the line, making 15 of his 16 free throw attempts. But there were so many missed foul calls against KAT in the first half that you could hear his frustration. He got a technical for yelling “foul” so loud that the stadium microphones picked it up.
Towns’ frustration was justified. You can see in the replay that he gets hacked once while dribbling in and hit on the body a second time while fading away to shoot. Jakob Poeltl knocked over KAT a play later while running down the court, and somehow the call went against Towns. Then, the refs called KAT for a lane violation during Poeltl’s second free throw, a rule which refs often ignore and seldom call. It almost felt like the refs were letting out their frustrations at Towns by calling him for tacky penalties.
KAT didn’t let it get to him for long, though. Instead, he seemed to channel all his frustrations in the first half and came out of the locker room with a new mentality. Towns let his game speak for him, playing the entire 3rd quarter and taking over. He hit five three-point shots in the 3rd quarter alone, including a ridiculous leaning step-back shot from the left corner.
Step-back shots are hard to hit because the shooter’s momentum is going away from the basket. However, it’s even harder for defenders to guard if done right. The shooter creates a clear opening to shoot through in the step-back motion, and the defender has to recover quickly to contest the shot. When you’re seven feet tall and can hit a step-back, you create so much space for yourself that it’s almost unfair. It’s one of several things in KAT’s bag that makes him the best shooting big of all time.
Towns showed incredible maturity powering through the frustrating calls, and worked through it to get his team a victory. KAT’s maturity has grown throughout the year, and we have the privilege of watching Towns become a great leader before our eyes. It couldn’t come at a better time either. At only 26 years old, KAT is stepping into the prime of his career as the 4th oldest player on one of the youngest teams in the league. His wisdom and passion will help the young players develop in an environment that nurtures an incredibly competitive mentality.
KAT’s downhill game has become a significant part of why he’s been so dominant this season. If you play downhill as a big man, it usually means you’re going to get fouled a lot. Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably the best example of this. He’s another 6’11” big man who loves to play with a full head of steam dribbling into the paint. Giannis is averaging the second-most free throws in a game this season with 11.5.
Players create more contact when driving into the paint, in part because there’s usually at least one defender protecting the rim. Often, one player will move into the double team, causing the offensive player to shoot through at least two people. Additionally, defenders will often foul to prevent an easy layup if they feel like they can’t make a good defensive play on the ball. Joel Embiid, another big man, leads the league with 11.9 free throw attempts a game. Even though Embiid doesn’t drive as much, he still gets hacked a lot because he operates a lot in the paint.
KAT has been playing at an MVP level since the All-star break, just like Embiid and Giannis. When you’re that dominant, people will play you physically to try to throw you off your game. It isn’t something that should really be allowed because no one wants to see a player get injured, especially on a cheap shot. Regardless, it has been a long-standing part of basketball history.
The Bad Boy Pistons notoriously knocked Michael Jordan off his game by playing physically and fouling him hard any time they had the chance. Of course, the NBA has put in some rules to protect players as a result of that series, specifically disallowing the hand check in 1999. However, that rule doesn’t stop defenders from “accidentally” jumping into a shooter’s body so hard that they knock them over while allegedly contesting a shot in the paint.
If history tells us anything, it’s that KAT will continue to get hacked, and he’s always going to have to battle through bad calls. However, we can still hope that Towns will get more foul calls now that the Timberwolves are good, and the league will be forced to recognize him as a bonafide superstar. Karl’s free-throw attempt rate is .387, way lower than Embiid’s at .619 or Giannis’s at .621. Either way, KAT is becoming an MVP candidate before our eyes, and will almost certainly be a shoo-in for All-NBA this year after last night’s performance.
