Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Good to go against Suns
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Towns (calf) is available for Wednesday's game versus Phoenix.
Towns will return to the lineup Wednesday after being upgraded from probable to available with a right calf strain. The star big man will likely replace Kyle Anderson in the starting five against Phoenix.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Probable for Wednesday
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Towns (calf) is probable for Wednesday against the Suns.
Towns was rested for the second leg of Minnesota's back-to-back set Monday against the Kings, but he's expected to get the green light for Wednesday. Anthony Edwards (ankle) will also be carrying a probable tag into Wednesday.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Won't play Monday
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Towns won't play Monday against the Kings due to right calf strain injury management.
Towns will take a seat for the second half of back-to-back set after hitting the go-ahead three-pointer in Sunday's win over Golden State. Given Monday is a rest day, it's safe to expect Towns to be back in action Wednesday in Phoenix, though his official status for that contest won't be known until after Monday's game.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Hits go-ahead three for win
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Towns amassed 14 points (5-16 FG, 4-9 3Pt), five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes during Sunday's 99-96 victory over the Warriors.
Towns looked like his old self in his second game back, making plays all over the court. Towns' return from a 52-game absence should help Minnesota hold on in a crowded bottom of the playoff bracket. If the Timberwolves can get some breathing room, we may see Towns sit a game or two for injury management as the season draws to an end.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Starting against Golden State
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Towns (calf) is starting Sunday against the Warriors.
Towns returned to the court Wednesday against Atlanta and posted 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes. He was questionable for Sunday's matchup but will be able to suit up for a second consecutive game.
Towns (calf) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Warriors.
Towns played well in his return Wednesday against the Hawks, providing 22 points, four boards, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes. However, he's sore and may sit out Sunday. If that's the case, more minutes would be available for Taurean Prince, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Scores 22 points in return
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Towns (calf) contributed 22 points (8-18 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes during Wednesday's 125-124 win over the Hawks.
Playing for the first time since Nov. 28 after an extended recovery from a Grade 3 calf strain, Towns reclaimed his spot on the starting five but was on a minutes limit. Though the playing-time restriction lowered his fantasy ceiling for the night, Towns still made the most of his time on the court and delivered a useful stat line for managers who chose to immediately activate him. Expect Towns to be under a restriction for the next game or two, and he could be a candidate to rest for one half of the Timberwolves' upcoming Sunday/Monday back-to-back set with the Warriors and Kings, respectively.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Starting, but limited
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Towns (calf) will start Wednesday's game against the Hawks.
Coach Chris Finch said Towns will face "some sort of limitations" Wednesday in his first game action since Nov. 28 but will reclaim his spot in the starting lineup. In his only 20 appearances this season, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists over 33.8 minutes.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Expected to have limitations
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Towns (calf) will have "some sort of limitations" with his minutes during Wednesday's game against the Hawks, Dane Moore of 'The Dane Moore NBA Podcast' reports.
Towns is suiting up for the first time since Nov. 28, so it's unsurprising to hear that Minnesota will be cautious and ease him back to a full workload. Before the injury, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 33.8 minutes across his first 20 appearances.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Will play Wednesday
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Towns (calf) will play Wednesday against the Hawks, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
As expected, Towns has been cleared to return from a 51-game absence due to a calf strain and will presumably take his usual spot in the starting frontcourt alongside Rudy Gobert. However, the Kentucky product will likely still have his minutes monitored closely for the next few games to ensure he's healthy for a potential playoff run. Before the injury, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists with 51/33/90 shooting splits across his first 20 appearances.
Towns (calf) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Hawks.
The Timberwolves have expressed optimism that Towns could return to the starting lineup Wednesday, but his official availability likely won't be known until closer to the 8:00 p.m. ET tipoff. If Towns is cleared, he'll presumably operate under a minutes restriction after missing nearly three months with a right calf strain. Before the injury, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists with 51/33/90 shooting splits across his first 20 appearances of the season.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Could make return Wednesday
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The Timberwolves have optimism that Towns (calf) could return to the lineup as soon as the team's next game Wednesday versus the Hawks, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Prior to Monday's 140-134 win over the Knicks, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch hinted that he felt Towns was "really, really close" to a return, and Charania's report seemingly supports Finch's comments. Towns has endured a lengthy recovery from a Grade 3 right calf strain, an injury that has sidelined him since Nov. 28 and kept him from resuming basketball activities until just over two weeks ago. He's since advanced to 5-on-5 work in practice in recent days, and if he checks out fine following Tuesday's team workout, Towns looks like he could get the green light to play Wednesday. Though Towns will likely start alongside Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt if active, the 27-year-old would almost certainly be on a minutes restriction versus the Hawks, and likely for a few more games to follow.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said that while Towns (calf) won't play Monday against the Knicks, the big man's return "feels really, really close," Alan Horton of the Timberwolves Radio Network reports.
The team relayed last week that Towns was expected to return to the floor "in the coming weeks," and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported Monday that the 27-year-old has been "feeling great" while recently going through 5-on-5 work. Towns is in the final stages of his recovery, and while he will likely be eased back into the mix once cleared to play, he's worth stashing in an injured reserve spot at this point in any leagues in which he might have been dropped.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Expected back in 'coming weeks'
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The Timberwolves released an official injury update for Towns (calf) on Wednesday, noting that he's been participating in basketball activities and is "expected to return in the coming weeks."
The regular season also ends in what could be described as "the coming weeks," so there's not much here to convince fantasy managers that Towns will be back and contributing in a meaningful way before many fantasy leagues conclude. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Monday that Towns only recently began participating in 1-on-1 drills after going 1-on-0 or 2-on-0, so the big man still needs to make significant progress before stepping back on an NBA floor. Managers with a free injured reserve spot can certainly place Towns there, but tough decisions will need to be made if dealing with multiple IR-eligible players. If the big man returns March 29 -- two weeks from Wednesday's update -- he'll just have six games to potentially play in before the regular season ends.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Limited to 1-on-1 work
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Monday that Towns (calf) has recently resumed taking part in 1-on-1 drills but isn't yet cleared for full team activities, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Advancing to 1-on-1 work represents a marginal step forward for Towns from the last update Finch provided for the big man, who is now taking some resistance in drills after previously taking part in 1-on-0 or 2-on-0 drills. Towns, who has been sidelined since Nov. 28 with a severe right calf strain, still has a few more milestones to hit in his recovery program and is likely at least a week away from suiting up for the Timberwolves.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Returns to basketball activies
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Coach Chris Finch said Tuesday that Towns (calf) is still in the "final" stages of returning, but despite doing some basketball activities, remains without a clear timeline, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Towns hasn't played since Nov. 28 due to a right calf strain but is expected to retake the court before the end of the season. However, with just 18 games remaining in Minnesota's regular season, the star big man is unlikely to see a ton of action before the playoffs. If Towns can return, the Timberwolves will likely ease him into the rotation to prepare him for the playoffs.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Likely out until mid-to-late March
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The Timberwolves are hopeful that Towns (calf) will be ready to return to the court at some point during their final "10-to-15 games" of the season, Shams Charania reported Tuesday during his "FanDuel TV" segment.
Beyond noting that Towns is expected back before the end of the season, the Timberwolves still haven't firmly committed to a precise timeline for when the star big man might be ready to return from the Grade 3 right calf strain that has sidelined him since Nov. 28. Still, Charania's report offers at least a bit more clarity on that front. If Towns' supposed target return date of the Timberwolves' final 10-to-15 games proves to be accurate, Towns won't be ready to play coming out of the All-Star break but could be back sometime between March 10 through 20. Fantasy managers will probably need to see reports of Towns returning to practice by late February or early March to feel optimistic about that timeline holding, and his managers in redraft leagues who are looking to make up ground in the standings and have limited or no reserve slots available may have to consider dropping him.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Still lacking timeline
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Timberwolves general manager Tim Connelly said Tuesday that Towns (calf) remains sidelined indefinitely, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports.
Connelly suggested that the team doesn't want to put a specific timetable on Towns' return yet, but the GM mentioned that the organization expects that the big man will make it back at some point during the 2022-23 campaign. Towns hasn't appeared in a contest since Nov. 28 while tending to a Grade 3 calf strain. With Towns having yet to resume practicing in any capacity and with Connelly not providing any indication that the 27-year-old is close to playing again, fantasy managers should expect Towns to sit out through the All-Star break.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Without return timeline
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Saturday that Towns (calf) has "no timetable" to return to game action, Dane Moore of 'The Dane Moore NBA Podcast' reports.
Finch's comments came two days after Towns revealed during a Twitch stream that he's been sidelined since Nov. 28 with a Grade 3 right calf strain. The injury appears to be more severe than initial reports suggested, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN having reported at the time Towns was diagnosed with the calf strain that the 27-year-old big man was facing a projected recovery timeline of 4-to-6 weeks. Towns' absence is now closing in on two months, and though he disclosed in his Twitch stream that his rehab is going well, he didn't go into specifics regarding when he might be able to resume full-contact work in practices. If Towns cannot accelerate his activity in practice over the next week or two, he'll likely end up being sidelined through the All-Star break.
Towns revealed Thursday that he has a Grade 3 right calf strain and will be out longer than the initially reported 4-to-6 week timetable, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I wish it was four to six weeks. I knew then it wasn't going to be four to six," Towns said during a Twitch livestream.
Towns hurt his calf on Nov. 28 and initial reports said he would be out 4-to-6 weeks which would've put his return in mid-January. While it's not clear how long he'll be out, the Star Tribune notes a Grade 3 calf strain typically has a recovery time of more than two months. Towns did say his rehab was going well but didn't offer specifics.
