CHRIS FINCH

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $25,000 on Friday for public criticism of officiating following a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

After missing the Minnesota Timberwolves' last 52 games, there is reportedly "optimism" Karl-Anthony Towns could return as soon as Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, according to the Athletic's Shams Charania Tuesday. In Towns' last appearance on Nov. 28 against the Washington Wizards, he went down with a non-contact calf injury. You have a boot one day, then you're out of a boot and now you're back in a boot. Only out for the Timberwolves last two games, Charania reported fellow All-Star Anthony Edwards could also return on Wednesday. Going 26-26 in Towns' Absence, his return combined with Edwards' could significantly benefit Minnesota.

It has been nearly four months since Karl-Anthony Towns last suited up for the Minnesota Timberwolves. You have a boot one day, then you're out of a boot and now you're back in a boot. The good news is Towns might finally be close to a return. It's good to know that there's some light at the end of the tunnel." Minnesota has 11 games remaining in its season after Monday, but plenty of ground to lose if it doesn't keep pace.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had to be helped off the court in the third quarter at Washington because of what the team is calling a right calf strain.

Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D’Angelo Russell had 19 and the Minnesota Timberwolves survived a late scare and won their third straight game, 112-109 over the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

Anthony Edwards scored 35 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 and the Minnesota Timberwolves built a 27-point lead in the first half in a 126-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

CLEVELAND — (AP) — All-Star point guard Darius Garland scored an NBA season-high 51 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 129-124, on Sunday night. D’Angelo Russell had season highs of 30 points and 12 assists and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points to help the Timberwolves overcome Garland’s onslaught. Garland’s 51 surpassed the previous season high set by Ja Morant, who had 49 points for Memphis against Houston on Oct. 21. Lamar Stevens had 15 points, Evan Mobley grabbed 13 rebounds and Love had 14 points for the Cavaliers. Cavaliers: F Dean Wade (right knee soreness) missed his second game in a row.

CLEVELAND — (AP) — D’Angelo Russell had season highs of 30 points and 12 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 129-124 on Sunday night. Garland, whose 51 points were also a career best, made two free throws with 8.3 seconds left to pull Cleveland within 126-124, but Russell made it 127-124 from the foul line. Prince had 19 points off the bench and Rudy Gobert added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Lamar Stevens had 15 points, Evan Mobley grabbed 13 rebounds and Love had 14 points for the Cavaliers. Cavaliers: F Dean Wade (right knee soreness) missed his second game in a row.

D’Angelo Russell had season highs of 30 points and 12 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 129-124.

MINNEAPOLIS — (AP) — Rudy Gobert will miss the Minnesota Timberwolves' game against Houston on Saturday after being placed in the league's health and safety protocols. Gobert played Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks with an illness, and the Timberwolves ruled him out Saturday afternoon for the game against Houston. Anthony Edwards, who was also listed with an illness on Friday, is not on the team's injury report. Finch wasn't sure how long Gobert would miss and deferred to the league's regulations for Gobert's return. Gobert, in his first season after being acquired from Utah, is averaging 12.6 points and leads the league with 13.9 rebounds per game.

Rudy Gobert will miss the Minnesota Timberwolves’ game against Houston after being placed in the league’s health and safety protocols.

Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 29 points in the third quarter, Rudy Gobert added 22 points and 21 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves extended the Los Angeles Lakers’ winless start with a 111-102 win.

Towns confirmed to reporters that he was hospitalized with an illness and that his weight had dropped to 231 pounds — 17 pounds below his listed playing weight. Some of Towns' weight loss was intentional as he transitions to power forward. He told reporters that he plans to test himself at his current weight before deciding whether to pack on more pounds. Head coach Chris Finch told reporters that he won't play in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Miami Heat. Towns lost seven family members including his mother to COVID-19 before testing positive for the first time in 2001.

Alex Rodriguez was standing near his courtside seat, oblivious to a few fans who were snapping a quick photo of the baseball great as they walked by.

A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Denver Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly has agreed to take a similar role with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 and grab a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.

Scoring has rarely looked so difficult for Kevin Durant.

Desmond Bane made seven 3-pointers and had 26 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 26-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95 on Thursday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

MINNEAPOLIS — (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch signed a multi-year contract extension on Monday, after guiding the team to seventh place in the Western Conference and a play-in game berth. It’s a fun time to be a part of the Timberwolves,” said Finch, who was hired midway through the 2020-21 season to replace the fired Ryan Saunders. Finch has a 62-61 record for the second-best winning percentage (.504) by a head coach in Timberwolves history. Minnesota went 46-36 this season, the second-best record for the long-languishing franchise over the past 18 years. The Timberwolves led the NBA in scoring this season at 115.9 points per game, a first in franchise history.

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has signed a multi-year contract extension.

Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds, Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns surged past trash-talking Minnesota 125-116 on Wednesday night.

This is the seventh season for Karl-Anthony Towns with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Karl-Anthony Towns had a team-record 60 points, the most scored in the NBA this season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 149-139.

Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the depleted Los Angeles Lakers for a second time this season with a 110-92 victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell each scored 27 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves built a 30-point halftime lead, led by 43 in the third quarter and cruised to a 128-96 rout of the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch talks to Malik Beasley during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Malik Beasley has been suspended for 12 games without pay by the NBA for his recent guilty plea to a felony charge of threats of violence. The league announced Thursday the punishment, which will begin with Minnesota's game Saturday at Washington. Beasley, in his fifth NBA season, is averaging a career-best 20.5 points. As part of Beasley’s plea deal, prosecutors dropped a felony fifth-degree drug possession charge.

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)CHICAGO – The leadership of the National Basketball Coaches Association spoke out Wednesday about its “concern and level of disappointment” with the way the Minnesota Timberwolves went about their coaching change earlier this week. The statement came from NBCA president Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks and NBCA executive director David Fogel. Ad“There were other candidates, minority candidates we considered at this time,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said. “During this past offseason, we saw many NBA head coaching vacancies where teams led searches that were both diverse and transparent,” Fogel and Carlisle wrote in their statement.

FILE - This Dec. 15, 2011, file photo shows Houston Rockets assistant coach Chris Finch during an NBA basketball media day in Houston. Chris Finch is the new coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team announced Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, after dismissing Ryan Saunders the previous night. The team quickly hired Finch, who was in his first season as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors. Finch replaced Ryan Saunders, who was fired Sunday night after Minnesota lost at New York and fell to a league-worst 7-24. “I think we can breathe some confidence back into the roster,” Finch said, "and these guys can maybe find some joy.”___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports