Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns reportedly out at least a month after meniscus surgery
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns will undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Towns will reportedly be re-evaluated in a month and is expected to return early in the Western Conference playoffs. The Timberwolves' final regular season game is on April 14.
A fully healthy Towns had been a huge part of Minnesota's surge into the top tier of the Western Conference this season. He's averaged 22.1 points with 8.4 rebounds in 60 games, starting every single one. He's missed just two games this season up to this point.
The Timberwolves currently have a 44-19 record, a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are close behind, both within three games in the standings.
With 20 games left, it would take a considerable downward slide for the Wolves to find themselves completely out of playoff contention. There's a 10-game buffer between them and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently in the last spot of the play-in with a 34-30 record, with 19 games to play for the T-Wolves and 18 for the Lakers. Basically, it would require something like the Timberwolves going 4-15 for the rest of the season and the Lakers to go 15-3, with the rest of the play-in teams being similarly unstoppable.
Even falling into the play-in tournament would require a large slide, with the seventh-place Sacramento Kings currently sitting eight games behind Minnesota.
While the Timberwolves may be able to keep their head above water through the rest of the regular season, the playoffs are a whole different animal. This felt like the year Minnesota takes a leap, and it can only hope Towns will be along for the ride.
