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Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns was forced out of Monday’s road loss to the Wizards after sustaining a non-contact injury to his right calf in the second half.
Towns immediately grabbed the back of his leg and went down to the floor in apparent pain after trying to run up the court during the third quarter. The three-time All-Star was unable to place any weight on the leg and needed assistance from teammate Rudy Gobert and trainers as he gingerly walked to the bench.
Minnesota subsequently announced Towns would not return to the contest after being diagnosed with a right calf strain. Prior to exiting, the 27-year-old logged eight points, four assists and two rebounds in 22 minutes; on the season, Towns is averaging 21.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
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Although it remains to be seen whether or not the injury causes him to miss additional time, Towns’s early exit is not an encouraging sign for Minnesota in the short term as the club looks to build some momentum a month into the season. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, there is early hope from the team that Towns did not suffer a major injury to his right leg, with an MRI scheduled Tuesday for further testing.
After earning their first playoff berth since 2018 last season, the Timberwolves (10–10) entered Monday’s game in a precarious position, sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference.
