On the latest episode of the Minnesota Foul Play-by-play podcast, NBA2K expert and Anthony’s favorite cousin, Joel, joins the show to preview the Western Conference Semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and our Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony tells you why Karl-Anthony Towns is the key to victory and why we're comfortable with that. Mike tells us whether the Twins have taken advantage of a weak stretch in their schedule or if they’re figuring out how to hit. And we can't help but talk about the Vikings' 2024 NFL Draft class and undrafted free agents.
Anthony's Keys to a Wolves Win
Karl-Anthony Towns needs to "stop fuckin' foulin'," as Anthony Edwards so elegantly said in a recent postgame presser. Towns only played in the first of four regular season games against the Nuggets (a win). He went 7-for-19 from the field, (1-for-4 from three), and hit all six of his free throws. He also grabbed eight boards, dished four assists, had two steals, just one turnover and only two fouls. That's all the Wolves should need from him to win. The threat of Towns' shooting ability will stretch the Denver defense and open up more space for driving, cutting, and passing lanes. Everyone is more open when KAT is on the court.
The Wolves need to limit Denver's second chances. Denver has the highest offensive rebound chance percentage, so cleaning up the defensive glass will be imperative. Minnesota only beat Denver on the boards in the game Towns played, which is another reason why he must stay out of foul trouble.
Minnesota needs to attack the rack. In their two victories over Denver, the Timberwolves got to the free-throw line almost twice as often as they did in their losses. The Wolves shot more than 30 free throws in three of the four victories over the Suns. They shot 37 free ones to beat the Nuggets without Towns during the regular season. One foul shot per three field goal attempts should be a winning pace for the Wolves.
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