Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns to compete in NBA 3-Point Contest
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles a rebound as Moritz Wagner #21 of the Orlando Magic defends during the third quarter at Amway Center on May 09, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. ((Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns was named to his third NBA All-Star Game last week, moments before tipp-off on a night where they beat the Detroit Pistons.
On Tuesday, the NBA and Timberwolves announced that Towns will compete in the Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 19, as part of the All-Star Weekend. Towns, the Timberwolves’ all-time franchise leader with 728 made 3-pointers, is the second Minnesota player to compete in the three-point contest. Kevin Love did it twice, winning the competition in 2014.
The Timberwolves improved to 29-25 on the season and are in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference after beating the Sacramento Kings 134-114 Tuesday night. In 46 games, Towns is averaging 24.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He’s shooting 51.9 percent from the field, including 40.6 percent from the perimeter.
"He just let me know he was going to do it the other night, I was happy to hear it. I think he’s one of the best shooters in the league, irrespective of position on the floor. You watch him shoot around in his workouts or at practice, he just doesn’t miss. He’s an easy guy to rebound for, happy to have him out there representing us. It should be a fun weekend to watch," Timberwolves’ coach Chris Finch said before Tuesday’s win.
Towns is the only player in the NBA this season to average at least 20 points per game while shooting at least 50 percent from the field, and 40 percent from three-point range. He considers himself one of the best shooters in the league among post players.
"I’m excited. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, so when I got the call it was cool. It was very cool to get that kind of call. It’s something I’ve always done my whole entire life is three-point contests, so I’m excited to go out there and shoot the ball. That’s what I do," Towns said after Tuesday’s win. "You only get to live once, so might as well do it, have fun with it."
Towns finished Tuesday night’s win with 25 points, shooting 10-of-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from the perimeter. He now has 101 made 3-pointers on the season. Towns said after Tuesday's win he's competed in three 3-point contests dating back to high school and made the finals all three times, but has yet to win.
Towns will compete against a field that includes former teammate Zach LaVine. Other competitors include Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies, C.J. McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans, Luke Kennard of the L.A. Clippers, Patty Mills of the Brooklyn Nets, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors.
Towns joked that he’ll have a side bet with LaVine at the contest.
"For sure. I hope they match me up against him first round, I love it," Towns said.