Incredible stat sums up KAT's importance to Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards might be the Timberwolves' best player, but Karl-Anthony Towns could be the most vital to their chances of winning a championship. Thus far in the playoffs, the Timberwolves are 7-1 when KAT scores at least 18 points, and 2-5 when he doesn't. 

The only time Towns scored over 18 points in a Minnesota loss was Game 5 against the Nuggets in the conference semifinals when his 23 points went in vain.

Towns' importance to Minnesota was never more apparent than during the team's season-saving 105-100 Game 4 win over Dallas on Tuesday. Towns had 10 fourth-quarter points as Minnesota held onto its lead — flipping the script after its late-game collapses earlier in the series. In comparison, Towns scored 16, 15 and 14, respectively, in Minnesota's first three losses, with a combined five points in three fourth-quarters.

On Wednesday's "Get Up" on ESPN, former Heat player Udonis Haslem praised Towns for sticking to his guns when the rest of the world wrote him off.  

"I love the fact that he just trusted in the work he does behind the scenes," Haslem said of Towns. "He didn't get shy. He showed up, was aggressive, scored from all three levels, and took advantage of every opportunity he had."

To Haslem's point of Towns scoring "from all three levels," the Timberwolves star didn't settle for threes like he did during the first three games. In fact, Towns didn't attempt a three in Game 4 until late in the second half. Jay Williams, too, praised Towns for getting to the paint a lot more.

"A lot of players settle for jump shots, and that dictates how they play," Williams said. "But Karl-Anthony Towns from the beginning drove the ball and started bodying down low. That set a rhythm offensively, and he found that [shooting] stroke after he got out of foul trouble in the first half."

The Timberwolves go into Thursday's Game 4 as 4.5-point favorites, per ESPN Bet. Bettors are likely paying attention to the Towns 18-point stat. Minnesota's win-loss disparity when he reaches the number is stunning.