Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is experiencing a notably challenging start to the Western Conference finals. Following a 116-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3, his coach Chris Finch didn't hold back on acknowledging Towns' struggles. Towns managed to score only 14 points with a 5-for-18 shooting performance, including missing all eight of his three-point attempts. This loss has put Minnesota on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-0 in the series.
Towns' difficulties were most evident in the fourth quarter of Game 3, where he went scoreless on four attempts. Despite his diligent practice regimen, which includes taking up to 1,500 shots daily, Towns expressed frustration over his poor shooting luck, though he maintained his confidence. His overall shooting percentage in the series has dropped to 27.8%, a historically low figure for a conference finals, and his three-point shooting has been particularly abysmal, hitting just 12.5% of his attempts over the last five games.
Suggestions for improvement have come from teammates like Kyle Anderson, who believes Towns should revert to playing more inside the paint and leveraging his physical advantages. Towns showed a glimpse of this strategy's effectiveness in the third quarter of Game 3, where he scored nine points without attempting any three-pointers, contributing to a tie game heading into the fourth quarter. However, a critical missed three-pointer in the final minutes of the game proved costly, allowing the Mavericks to secure the win.
The Timberwolves' struggles in clutch moments have contributed significantly to their predicament. They are the first team to trail 3-0 in a series while having led at some point in the final five minutes of each game. Despite the bleak historical odds for teams down 3-0 in a playoff series, the Timberwolves, led by players like Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, remain hopeful and determined to improve their execution and turn the series around. The team maintains a positive outlook, focusing on the possibility of achieving a comeback, starting with Game 4.
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