Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns reportedly received stem cell treatment in the form of several platelet-rich plasma injections on Friday.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Towns received injections in both knees, his left ankle, left wrist and right finger.

Shelburne noted that Towns dealt with pain in both knees, a cyst in his left ankle, a subluxated left wrist with ligament damage and an aggravated joint in his right middle finger during the 2021-22 season.

Towns decided to undergo the procedure "with the hopes of avoiding surgery and making a full recovery by training camp," per Shelburne.

Before getting the treatment, Towns waited until the T-Wolves were eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.

The three-time All-Star is coming off another big year, as he averaged 24.6 points on 52.9 percent shooting and 9.8 rebounds in his seventh NBA season (all with the Wolves).

Minnesota made big improvements in 2021-22 thanks in part to Towns. After going 23-49 last year, the Timberwolves made the playoffs as a No. 7 seed with a 46-36 record.

Towns appeared in 74 games during the regular season, but he dealt with his fair share of health issues.

A tailbone contusion kept Towns out for a Dec. 3 matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. He then missed six games from Dec. 23-Jan. 3 because of the league's health-and-safety protocols. Towns rested the final regular-season game on April 10 in a matchup that meant nothing for the Timberwolves' playoff standing.

Towns didn't miss a game in his first three NBA seasons and played in 77 games in 2018-19, but injuries have hampered him a bit more in recent years, as he played in only 35 games in 2019-20 and 50 games the following year.

The 26-year-old's health is of the utmost importance with regard to the Timberwolves' continued growth as a team, and the hope is that the PRP injections will have him ready to go for the 2022-23 campaign.

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals after overcoming a 12-point deficit to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 101-98 on Monday.

One day later, Warriors forward Draymond Green went on his podcast to discuss the matchup and noted that his team is a cut above Memphis' first-round opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves (around the 4:15 mark).

Draymond had thoughts after the Warriors' Game 4 win against the Grizz 😤

(via @TheVolumeSports) pic.twitter.com/U5i0243oz8

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 10, 2022

Green's remarks were in reference to the Warriors' 142-112 win in Game 3, when Golden State won by 30 despite a 34-point performance from Memphis point guard Ja Morant.

Golden State holds a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET in Memphis.

Green was overall very respectful of the Grizzlies, who played Game 4 without Morant because of a right knee injury, during his podcast.

Among numerous comments, Green recognized that Memphis was 20-5 entering Monday with Morant and then said the Warriors "got away with one that we probably shouldn't have won."

He also complimented Jaren Jackson Jr., who had a team-high 21 points and five blocks, saying that he was having an "absolutely incredible game."

However, Green also noted that the Warriors, who have won five Western Conference titles and three NBA championships since 2014, are "battle-tested" and have "championship pedigree."

Memphis is a young team on the rise that should be a perennial Western Conference title contender for years to come with a core led by Morant, who is flanked by a talented crew that includes Jackson, Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke.

The Western Conference's No. 2 seed had some issues with the No. 7 seed Timberwolves in the first round, with the underdogs pushing the Grizz to six games.

Memphis also had to overcome deficits of 26, 13 and 13 again in Games 3, 5 and 6, respectively, to win those matchups.

The semifinals have proved to be much harder, and now the Grizzlies' backs are against the wall. Still, they have a tremendous amount of fight in them as evidenced by their near-upset win in San Francisco, and overcoming a 3-1 deficit isn't unprecedented.

D'Angelo Russell struggled during the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and his time with the team may be coming to an end as well.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported "numerous rival teams" believe Minnesota will look to trade the guard this offseason even though he is close with big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell will be entering the final season of his contract and is slated to make $31.4 million in 2022-23.

While Russell played below expectations in the series against the Grizzlies, potential suitors still have plenty to like about him. 

For one, Russell's expiring contract could give a team more financial freedom beyond 2022-23 if it decides against keeping him long term. He is also only 26 years old and should be in his prime for the foreseeable future.

Scoring has also never been an issue for Russell, who has averaged 17.7 points per game during his career for the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors and Timberwolves. He posted as many as 23.1 points per game in 2019-20 and averaged 18.1 points per game this past season.

He can shoot from three-point range and facilitate as a primary ball-handler, as evidenced by the career-best 7.1 assists per game he tallied this past season.

However, Russell averaged only 12.0 points per game and shot 33.3 percent from the field during the loss to the Grizzlies. He also had also multiple key turnovers, and he was benched down the stretch of Game 6 as Minnesota's season came to an end.

The Timberwolves have a franchise cornerstone in Anthony Edwards, and trading Russell could open up an opportunity for the 2020 No. 1 overall pick to handle the ball more and be an even bigger piece of the offense.

That could motivate them to explore Russell trades this offseason as they look to construct a roster capable of advancing deeper into the Western Conference playoffs.        

Another Minnesota Timberwolves game, another fan disruption.

After a woman attempted to glue her hand to the court during Tuesday's play-in tournament game between the Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers, a woman chained herself to the basket during Saturday's playoff contest between Minnesota and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jessica Benson of Grind City Media noted security carried her out after cutting the chain away.

https://twitter.com/BallySportsNOR/status/1515431783231377411

The fan also threw flyers or confetti prior to chaining herself to the basket.

CBS Minnesota reported the woman who attempted to glue her hand to the court during the play-in game was protesting a factory egg farm owned by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.

She was wearing a shirt that said "Glen Taylor Roasts Animals Alive."

The woman who chained herself to the basket during Saturday's game was wearing a shirt with the same message:        

pic.twitter.com/iekOuYtJr5

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 16, 2022

TNT's Allie LaForce reported the woman who disrupted the play-in game did so in an effort to raise awareness about the number of chickens that were recently killed at the egg farm because of a bird flu outbreak.

Saturday's incident didn't leave quite the lasting mark:

pic.twitter.com/zbK9ancPRK

— Mark Herzog (@runner_dude) April 13, 2022

The disruption was about the only thing that slowed the back-and-forth pace in Game 1 of the first-round series between the two Western Conference teams. Minnesota took a 65-62 lead into halftime with Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant trading baskets in impressive fashion.      

Bud Light wants to offer Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley a thank you for raising its brand awareness.

The company tweeted at Beverley on Thursday to say it will deliver him some customized cans for his next press conference. The can is rebranded as "Bev Light" and includes the phrase "Take they a$$ home."

https://twitter.com/budlight/status/1514721869781475344

Beverley graciously accepted.

Please and Thank You🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/YhmdmGlW6v

— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) April 14, 2022

The NBA announced it had fined him $30,000 for "inappropriate statements" he made during his postgame press conference after Minnesota's 109-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament.

In addition to savoring the victory against his former team, the 33-year-old was enjoying a cold one in the process.

A $30,000 fine is a drop in the bucket for somebody earning more than $14 million this season, and he might get his own customized Bud Light cans. Beverley is having a great postseason already.

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns had one of his worst performances of the year in Tuesday's play-in tournament victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. But Towns believes the win outweighed his individual subpar play.

When speaking to reporters on Thursday, Towns was asked about the Clippers' belief that eliminating him from the game would lead them to victory. He responded, "It didn’t work. It doesn’t irritate me at all. I went home very happy."

Towns was held to 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting and fouled out of the game early in the fourth quarter. Despite his struggles, Minnesota managed to escape with a 109-104 win to secure the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Towns went on to praise the Clippers for how they forced him to adjust his game.

"Shoutout to the Clippers, too," he said. "They've done the best job all year of anybody with how they want to get the job done on me. And it forced my hand with passing."

While Towns was having a rough night, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points and D'Angelo Russell added 29 points. Minnesota overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and ended the game on a 26-11 run.

The Timberwolves will face the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. It's just the second time that Minnesota has reached the postseason since 2004, the last time coming in 2018.

If the Timberwolves want to make a deep run in the West, Towns will need to be in his All-Star form. But he's confident in his ability to bounce back the next time he takes the floor.

"I'm not tripping at all. In a good space," Towns said. "Just good to get past the last two days and I'm ready to go."

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley took great pleasure in beating his former team in the Western Conference postseason play-in tournament on Tuesday.

According to Ohm Youngmisuk, Beverley said the following after the T-Wolves defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 to clinch the No. 7 seed in the West: "To be written off like that [by them], he's injury-prone, he's old, to be able to play them in a play-in and beat their ass, no other [better] feeling."

With the win, Minnesota earned the opportunity to face the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.

The 33-year-old Beverley spent four seasons with the Clippers before getting traded this past offseason. He played top-flight perimeter defense during his time in L.A. and helped the Clips reach the Western Conference Finals last season.

Last month, Beverley discussed how his departure from the Clippers went down, noting that he was expecting to re-sign with the organization.

Appearing on the Old Man and the Three podcast with former NBA guard JJ Redick (h/t HoopsHype.com), Beverley said:

"We in the Western Conference Finals, something the team has never done. Me being there from the beginning, I'm thinking that this contract extension, I'm thinking it's going to be easy. I walk in and they throw me a number that I felt was borderline disrespectful."

L.A. traded Beverley and other pieces to the Grizzlies for guard Eric Bledsoe, and Memphis then flipped Beverley to the Timberwolves just over a week later for Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez.

It turned out to be a great pickup for Minnesota, as Beverley played 58 games (54 starts) and averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers made and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Beverley also brought his veteran leadership and savvy to a team led by young stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

While Beverley scored only seven points on Tuesday, he pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out three assists in one of Minnesota's biggest wins in recent memory.

Tuesday's win gave the T-Wolves only their second playoff berth in the past 18 seasons, but the future appears bright for Minnesota thanks to its mix of rising stars and established veterans such as Beverley.

Minnesota Timberwolves rising star Anthony Edwards took a shot at the Los Angeles Clippers' defense after scoring a team-high 30 points in Tuesday's 109-104 win in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

"I took what the game gave me and that is what they gave me," Edwards told reporters. "They were scared to guard me, and I took advantage of that."

The 2020 first overall pick knocked down 10 of his 21 shots, including five of his 11 threes, to pace the Wolves' offense. He also chipped in five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 37 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya0CzjEFZ3s?

Minnesota is now locked into the No. 7 seed in the West playoffs, while L.A. will face the winner of Wednesday's clash between the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans for the conference's final postseason berth.

It represents a massive turnaround for the Wolves, who posted a 23-49 record last season to miss the playoffs by 10 games.

Veteran guard Patrick Beverley, who provided a defensive spark in Tuesday's win, said they aren't surprised by the postseason appearance.

"I told you, Ant," Beverley said to Edwards. "They didn't believe me. We going to the playoffs, baby. They looked at me like I was crazy. They said, 'Pat, you crazy!'"

D'Angelo Russell also played a crucial role in Minnesota's victory, scoring 29 points and dishing out six assists.

Paul George posted 34 points for the Clippers, who've played the entire season without Kawhi Leonard because of a knee injury.

The Timberwolves advance to face the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round. The teams split the regular-season series, 2-2.

Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Patrick Beverley Experience™ is not one intended to be quantified or even necessarily enjoyed. Its effectiveness is instead measured in emotional or physical heft.

Love him or hate him, for better and for worse, you are going to feel him.

Quite fittingly, the Patrick Beverley Experience during the Minnesota Timberwolves' come-from-behind play-in victory over the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday night was everything it could possibly be—and more. 

Insofar as an iconic performance can include scoring seven points on 2-of-8 shooting and a minus-five plus-minus, Beverley just turned in one. And insofar as that performance can divert the spotlight from more traditional detonations made by flashier names like Anthony Edwards (30 points, 5-of-11 on threes) and D'Angelo Russell (28 points, six assist, three steals), it just did.

This all happened in the backdrop of Karl-Anthony Towns' struggles, which set the stage even further for The Patrick Beverley Experience. KAT finished with 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting and fouled out with more than seven minutes left and Minnesota trailing by seven. The Timberwolves won anyway, because of everyone—Edwards, Russell, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, the whole gang. But Beverley was their emotional polestar, equal parts animated and uplifting.

He talked trash to the Clippers at large. He nearly coaxed the refs into giving Marcus Morris Sr. a second technical and the ejection that comes with it.

He picked up his own technical for what can only be described as typical, needly Patrick Beverley behavior. He pursued rebounds. He chased down loose balls.

He swished a circus shot that was overturned on review:

Just kidding 😅 https://t.co/JXmUYMkVJv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 13, 2022

He sealed the Wolves' win with a steal on Reggie Jackson, playing the type of trademark, hyper-aggressive defense that has rendered him polarizing and invaluable, and that Minnesota didn't technically need in this exact moment. And then he let the Clippers and team governor Steve Ballmer know about it: 

PAT BEV WITH THE STEAL TO SEAL IT 😤

His mom rocking the "I ❤️ Pat Bev" shirt 🤣 https://t.co/cnPxVr7LUE

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 13, 2022

That is the Patrick Beverley experience in a nutshell: notoriety through alternative, abstract means. He is effort and energy, annoying and adored, profound and for-show, somehow all at once.

He is also beloved by his own, disliked by everyone who's not and both, simultaneously, by teammates-turned-opponents, who have this sort of reluctant, longing appreciation for what he brings:

Paul George on Patrick Beverley's antics: "It's all for show. It's for the crowd. I love it. I miss it, he doing it on our side. Because it's contagious."

— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) April 13, 2022

History, of course, is littered with less-than-flattering sentiments on Beverley. His disregard for convention is endearing to some and grating to others.

No one will soon forget the 2013 playoffs, when Beverley, then a member of the Houston Rockets, lunged at Russell Westbrook as he was about to call a timeout for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook ended up tearing the meniscus in his right knee and missing the rest of season, and the Thunder were bounced from the playoffs in the second round by the Memphis Grizzlies.

That moment was among Beverley's first springboards into the mainstream. He hasn't left it since. His reputation as a tireless workaholic on defense is borne from those halcyon days of the James Harden-era Houston Rockets.

So, too, was the perception that he played with empty chaos, if not malicious intent.

Passage of time has not diluted bad blood, either. His beef with Westbrook is apparently forever, most notably resurfacing in 2019:

Russell Westbrook: “Pat Bev trick y’all, man, like he playing defense. He don’t guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing.” Made sure to note that James Harden scored 47 tonight.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 14, 2019

And then again this past February:

I remember when somebody said all I do is run around and I trick y’all 😂 well my boy is The Real Magician this year.

— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) February 10, 2022

Let us also not overlook what Beverley reportedly said to Stephen Curry in 2018, according to Heavy's Sean Deveney. "You had the last five years. The next five years are mine."

This isn't meant to paint a picture of Beverley as the NBA's hallmark villain without a cause. Unchecked bravado and controversy are merely all part of The Patrick Beverley Experience.

For his own teams, that experience is a necessity. Those Harden-era Rockets thrived on his defensive energy and offensive scalability. The superstar-less Clippers wouldn't have got by without his grittiness. The Paul George- and Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers may not have appreciated him in full, but his value shone through yet again during last season's playoff push, after he was benched in the first round.

This year's Timberwolves have flat-out needed him. Hamstring issues caused Beverley to miss a chunk of games, and he buried a career-low 34.3 percent of his threes, but he was a part of their most effective lineup and took on some of the toughest defensive assignments. Nobody on the team spent more time guarding No. 1 options, according to BBall-Index.

There is also that which can't be calculated: impact on the culture. Teammates credited him with resetting the tone and holding them accountable when the Timberwolves were trapped in an early-season malaise, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

That has to matter. The thing is, Beverley knows it. And he's not shy about letting everyone else know it, too. As he told Krawczynski:

"I'm a winner. I win on and off the court. I impact winning. I help my coaches; I help my teammates try to be the best version of themselves. I'm tough as f--k. I require a lot out of everybody—the film guy, the people in the kitchen, trainers, players, coaches—but I understand it takes a lot of that to win basketball games. My method is very unorthodox, but at the end of the day, 46 wins. It works."

Though never the primary force on any of his teams, nor an NBA champion, Beverley isn't exactly lying. When they have him, his squads get to the playoffs:

Patrick Beverley’s teams have made the playoffs every single year of his career when he’s healthy. pic.twitter.com/ApEqr987NA

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 13, 2022

Now the Timberwolves are there, too. And upon surviving the play-in tournament, they celebrated, extravagantly, like they had just won the title rather than the right to square off against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies in the first round.

Minnesota's reaction to edging out the Clippers was led by none other than Patrick Beverley himself, whose revels were quickly packaged into theatrical captions: 

Patrick Beverley just won the NBA Finals 😂 pic.twitter.com/DiR2prLcm2

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 13, 2022

And (hilarious) memes:

Patrick Beverley after winning a play-in game they were favored in pic.twitter.com/ubiavfEsPS

— C.J. Toledano 🏀 (@CJToledano) April 13, 2022

On the one hand: Meme away. Levity is great, and the Timberwolves, as a whole, delivered an outsized reaction relative to the stakes.

And it's not like Beverley didn't partake in some good ol' fashioned trolling himself:

Patrick Beverley on what he said to his teammates: "Take they ass home. Long flight to LA."

— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) April 13, 2022

On the other hand: This win represented something more than just the acquisition of the seventh seed, in so many ways. For the Timberwolves franchise, it's just the second playoff ticket since 2004, and their first with face-of-the-future Anthony Edwards.

For Beverley, it is validation by way of revenge. He not only helped the Wolves reach the playoffs and win a game in which Towns faltered and fouled out, but this victory came against his former team, the one that shipped him out for basically nothing to yet another organization that didn't want him in the Grizzlies, who he will now face in the first round. 

This isn't quite poetic, but it's a feat worthy of emotion and a little bit of pageantry, for both player and franchise. And in this case, The Beverley Experience is made more wholesome by his deference to Minnesota's present and future: 

Patrick Beverley: "He and D-Lo took over the game. Our young core, man. Those three guys, man. We’re going to be here for a while. I’m very excited for Ant. I see the boy, man."

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 13, 2022

And even its head coach:

Patrick Beverley is attending Chris Finch’s post game presser and just yelled “coach of the year! Coach of the fucking year!”

— Kyle Theige (@KyleTheige) April 13, 2022

Does any of this suddenly make Beverley universally likable? Or a consensus protagonist previously, unjustly scorned? Probably not.

If you didn't enjoy Beverley before, you most likely won't change your tune. But this season, and this particular game, should at least amplify understanding and appreciation for what the Patrick Beverley Experience brings to the table: heart, hustle, hard feelings, hyperbole and, oftentimes, results.

         

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by NBA Math's Adam Fromal.