Timberwolves star scores third most points in All-Star Game history

The Eastern Conference defeated the West by a score of 211-186. Numerous records were set in the 73rd iteration of the NBA All-Star Game. The East team recorded the most points in a game, 211. And, both squads combined for the most points in the history of the game with 397.

Adding to the high-scoring affair, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns led both teams with 50 points on the night. Towns also hauled in eight rebounds and dropped three dimes on Sunday night. He made 23 of his 35 shot attempts and knocked down 4-of-13 triples.

Towns had a huge night, but the same can't be said for his Minnesota teammate Anthony Edwards. In just 13 minutes of game time, Edwards dropped four points on 2-of-3 shooting.

Perhaps head skipper Chris Finch kept Edwards off the floor as much as he could to preserve his superstar guard. Or, his mission to shoot left-handed may have drawn the ire of coaches, fans, and even oddsmakers.

As for Towns, his All-Star weekend began on Saturday night when he competed (right-handed) in the Starry 3-Point Contest. In the first round, Towns recorded 26 points, which ended in a four-way tie with Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburton, and eventual winner, Damian Lillard.

The four players who tied competed against one another to move on to the final round. In the 30-second shootout to decide the finalists, Towns recorded a score of 16, Lillard put up 16, Young had 15, and Haliburton finished last with 12.

In the final round, Lillard won it with 26 points. Young followed up with 24, and Towns rounded out the top three, recording a score of 22. Although he came in third, Towns still brought home $25,000 for his third-place finish.

A night later, the Wolves star came off the bench for the Western Conference. He didn't appear until the start of the second quarter, but quickly made his mark. In the second period, Towns scored 10 points in nine minutes of action.

After a nondescript first half, Towns went nuclear in the fourth quarter. Before the final period, he played just six and a half minutes in the third quarter and scored nine points.

Then, the former Wildcat put his athleticism and sweet-shooting stroke on display. Towns played the entire fourth and recorded 31 points including multiple rim-rattling jams.

After multiple windmill and reverse dunks, Towns' point total reached the brink of the half-century mark. With less than a minute to go, the Timberwolves' All-Star knocked down a turnaround 3-pointer to reach 50 points, the most by a Timberwolf in the history of the All-Star Game.

After missing last year's All-Star festivities due to an injury, Towns once again put on a show for NBA fans. Going from 3-point champion in 2022 to leading scorer in the All-Star game in 2024, it's apparent the Timberwolves big man is one of the best and most exciting players in the league.