Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards Defends Karl-Anthony Towns From Stat-Stuffer Critics With Powerful Take

For his part, Nikola Jokic isn’t playing like a defending champion or a two-time MVP. The Nuggets’ franchise player only posted 16 points on 38 percent shooting from the field and 16 rebounds. Jamal Murray was equally disapppointing as the point guard only connected 16 percent of his field goals, resulting in eight points. Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points to lead Denver in their Game 2 loss against Edwards and the Timberwolves.

The win helped solidify Minnesota’s momentum by giving them a 2-0 lead against Mile High City. The loss, however, is a disappointing one for Denver. If they fail to adjust, the Nikola Jokic-led team might fall into a 0-3 hole, a predicament no team in NBA history has ever solved.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Defends Karl-Anthony Towns From Stat-Stuffing Criticism

After the game, Towns was asked about stuffing stats by a reporter, a label he has been attached to for years. Edwards jumped in to answer for his teammate, as seen in a post shared by Dane Moore on X:

Karl-Anthony Towns was asked postgame about his defense in this series and dispelling the “offensive stat-stuffer” label he’s been given. Anthony Edwards, who was next to him at the podium, jumped in to answer for him:

“He was never viewed as a stat-stuffer. He was never viewed as that, especially when I got here. I always thought he was a great defensive player. He just had to put his mind to it. When Finchy got here, man, Finchy put emphasis on, ‘hey, Ant and KAT, if we wanna go somewhere, we gotta defend’.

And like he said, that’s the head of the snake. And hearing that from him, it pushed KAT. And I tell KAT, we ned you to defend. Corliss tell KAT, we need you to defend. The whole team. And ever since he’s been back, this whole year, man, since he been at the 4, he been defending his ass off,” Moore tweeted.

Throughout 62 regular season games, Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Although his numbers have gone down this year, he remains a positive contributor on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

With Towns locked in and Edwards displaying a maturity well beyond his age, the Timberwolves are clicking at the right time. If things go well, especially for this All-Star duo, they may find themselves in the NBA Finals this year.