T-Wolves Collapse Despite Karl Anthony Towns’s Team-Record 62 Points

The Minnesota Timberwolves star’s historic night against the Charlotte Hornets didn’t have a happy ending.

Karl Anthony Towns’s record-setting 62-point game couldn’t save the Minnesota Timberwolves from digging their own grave on Monday night against the visiting Charlotte Hornets.

In the Hornets’ 128—125 victory, Charlotte managed to climb out of an 18-point hole and hand the Western Conference’s top team its second consecutive loss.

Towns, who became the seventh player in NBA history to record multiple 60-point games, set a franchise record with 62 points, breaking his previous record of 60 points set against the San Antonio Spurs in 2021.

He shot 60% from the field (21-of-35) with eight rebounds and two assists, sinking a career-best 10 threes.

The three-time All-Star’s historic performance was nonetheless overshadowed by his team’s stunning collapse, as coach Chris Finch lamented Minnesota’s immaturity in the postgame press conference.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns scored a franchise record 62 points Monday in a loss to the visiting Charlotte Hornets :: Brad Rempel/USA TODAY

“It was an absolute disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball,” Finch told reporters afterward. “There’s a lot of ways to be immature. And there were a lot of immature performances here throughout the roster. We totally disrespected the game ourselves. We got exactly what we deserved.”

Chris Finch: "It was an absolute disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball all the way through the game... This is what happens when you have this type of approach." pic.twitter.com/fIjNdk4K7V

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 23, 2024

When asked whether Towns was trying to “hunt” for points during the game, Finch said, “Absolutely.” 

Finch also noted that good looks started to dry up “down the stretch,” as Towns went 2-for-10 and scored just four points in the fourth quarter. Minnesota was outscored 36—18 during that span.

On the other side of the court, Hornets stars Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller spearheaded the unlikely comeback with 28 and 27 points, respectively, aided by some clutch free throws and critical defensive stops at the end of the game.

“It’s hard to look at the game like that,” Towns told the Star Tribune. “I was just doing my job. I really just wanted to win. You want to be able to have one of those nights on a win. Having a night like that on a loss doesn’t feel very good, historic, whatever you want to say.”