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In the biggest game of his career, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with more fouls than shot attempts, and that wasn't even the most troubling part. Even worse is that his performance wasn't an outlier.
It's now become a trend.
Towns tossed out another playoff dud Thursday in a 104-95 loss to Memphis in a Game 3 meltdown that instantly earned a spot in Minnesota lore among all-time sports collapses.
In nearly 33 minutes of action, Towns recorded five fouls and only four shots. Asked about his low shot total afterward, he gave a curt response.
"Next question," he said.
Seriously? That's his answer to a legitimate question about him taking the fewest shots in a game in his NBA career?
So mature.
Towns clearly is flummoxed on the court. He's frustrated by the officiating and the Memphis defensive game plan. He looks as if he has no answers or ability to adjust.
On the most important night for the Timberwolves organization in nearly two decades, their centerpiece player was largely invisible, except for when he was screaming at the officials.
This has become an alarming pattern.
In three of the Wolves' four postseason games, including the play-in game against the Clippers, Towns has made minimal impact on offense. He attempted only 11 shots combined in Games 2 and 3 of this series.
That is a strike against Towns and coach Chris Finch, neither of whom has found a way to combat double-teams and smaller lineups designed to harass and disrupt Towns.
"They swarm him everywhere," Finch said. "Three in the post and at the top of the key. They're in on him. We got to find him in the flow and that's just how it's going to have to be."
Four shots for Towns in such an important game — or any game, for that matter — is unacceptable, no matter how he's being guarded. He's not the first NBA star to draw double-teams.
It's on Finch and Towns to make necessary adjustments to get him more involved. Try something different schematically. Make quicker decisions once he gets the ball. Show more toughness and guile in not allowing Memphis to neutralize him so thoroughly.
Towns said he's focused on "making the right play" when he draws extra defenders, meaning passing the ball to open teammates. But his team needs him to score more, not always play the role of facilitator.
Towns noted that the Wolves built a 26-point lead with him passing out of double-teams, which is true. It's also true that they lost the game while he took four shots and scored eight points because his teammates' hot shooting eventually turned cold. Seven Wolves players took more shots than Towns.
Of course, it would help if Towns could stay on the court longer by eliminating silly fouls that are happening with regularity, especially offensive fouls.
He fouled out against the Clippers in the play-in game and finished with five fouls in both Games 2 and 3 of this series. His running feud with the officials is sabotaging his ability to establish any kind of rhythm.
"Just got to work through the adversity," he said.
Any adversity in this regard is self-inflicted. He's letting one foul lead to another foul, which leads to more fouls and then he's fuming and losing his composure. He's so consumed by the officiating and so often acting as if he's being treated unfairly that it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Let's not forget, either, that this is his seventh NBA season. He's not a young player still trying to figure out how the league works. He's a veteran now. Is he ever going to adjust his approach?
Towns fidgeted with the stats sheet during his postgame news conference. Asked how he intends to lift teammates emotionally after such a deflating loss, Towns said he planned to have a glass of wine and decompress at home.
Hopefully he used that time to reflect and realize that nobody is out to get him. He is his own worst enemy right now.
