SALT LAKE CITY – Exactly a week after they lost star Jimmy Butler in the third quarter of a loss at Houston, the Timberwolves went without gifted big man Karl-Anthony Towns for more than half of Friday’s contentious 116-108 loss at Utah.
Butler, of course, went down clutching his knee and was lost for the coming weeks because of a partially torn meniscus cartilage that required surgery less than two days later.
One night after a 34-point, 17-point game at Portland, Towns was gone from Friday’s game with 23 seconds left before halftime after referees called him for two technical fouls in the first half’s final minute and he was ejected for the first time in his career.