Minnesota All-Star pops up on injury report, out versus Pacers

The Minnesota Timberwolves kick off a six-game road trip beginning in Indiana tonight. The Wolves will battle the Pacers at 6:00 p.m. CT. After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, Minnesota is in sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

While Wolves' guard Anthony Edwards almost missed Monday's affair, his All-Star teammate will officially miss the first game of the road trip. After playing just 21 minutes against Portland, Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out a day prior to Thursday's contest.

The official designation is left knee soreness. Towns' status is still in the air for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Minnesota big is questionable, the Cavs have already ruled out forward Evan Mobley and All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Without Towns in the lineup, it's likely the Wolves will resort to giving Kyle Anderson the starting nod. The last time the former Wildcat missed action, on February 27, Finch opted to start Anderson, but Reid played the second most minutes in the game.

In that game, Reid dropped 22 points and hauled in six boards. He also ranked third on the team with a plus-minus of plus-8. As a starter, Anderson only recorded two points, two rebounds, and four assists in 15 minutes of action.

Going forward, depending on Town's long-term availability, it'll be an interesting storyline to follow as to whether Finch goes with Anderson or his preferred sixth man in Reid. Utilizing Anderson against Indiana is the likeliest scenario.

The Pacers start Pascal Siakam next to Myles Turner in the front court. As a big comfortable shooting off the dribble and initiating the offense, Siakam presents a mismatch for centers and even most true power forwards. Thus, Jaden McDaniels or Anderson will likely take on the tall task of defending Siakam.

Once promoted to the starting lineup, Anderson's void will be felt in the reserve unit. However, Minnesota did just sign veteran forward T.J. Warren to a 10-day contract. Fortunately for the Wolves' sake, Warren will immediately get a chance to display his talents. After not appearing in a game this season, it's fair to wonder how Warren will fare.

All in all, Towns' injury doesn't appear to be overly serious. But it is a bit concerning to see the Timberwolves' All-Star missing action in such an important stretch of games.

For all things Timberwolves, continue to follow along as we'll keep you updated on the road trip and Towns' injury status.