It is why the Timberwolves traded a handful of first-round draft picks in 2022 for the right to pair Rudy Gobert's rim protection with Towns. It is one of the reasons why Minnesota abandoned that double-big experiment after two seasons, even after the Wolves reached last year's Western Conference finals.

Towns appeared to injure the knee after colliding with Indiana's Aaron Nesmith with 2:11 remaining in Game 4 on Tuesday night. The Knicks lost that game 130-121 to fall behind 3-1 in the series and now face elimination at home on Thursday.