The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting some major reinforcements ahead of the stretch run to the postseason. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns will return to the team on Wednesday night for its game against the Atlanta Hawks, marking the first time that he has been able to play since suffering a calf injury in November that has kept him sidelined for the last 51 games.
After missing 51 straight games with a Grade 3 calf strain, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns will return tonight vs. Atlanta Hawks barring setback in pregame, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nine games remaining as T'Wolves battle for playoff positioning. pic.twitter.com/t7rxbqJ5ww
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 22, 2023
ESPN Sources: After missing 51 games with a calf injury, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns plans to make his return vs. the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Towns has been out since Nov. 28, and comes back with Minnesota ninth in the Western Conference playoff race.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 22, 2023
Towns suffered the injury during a game against the Washington Wizards when he took a step and immediately grabbed his right leg before hitting the ground and making his way into the locker room. It was originally believed that he’d miss a few weeks with the injury, but instead, he’s been on the sideline for nearly four months. At the time of his injury, Towns was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while shooting an uncharacteristic 32.5 percent from behind the three-point line.
The timing of Towns’ return could not be any better, as Anthony Edwards is reportedly not far away from a return after missing most of the last three games due to an ankle injury. The Wolves are one of the teams jostling to solidify a spot in the postseason without needing the play-in tournament in the Western Conference, as the team is currently 36-37 and in ninth place. They find themselves one game back of the Golden State Warriors in sixth place, while their cushion on the 11th-place Los Angeles Lakers is only half a game.
