Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined four to six weeks with strained calf

A right calf strain that Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns suffered Monday night will force him to miss four to six weeks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He’s expected to make a full recovery and return to the court sometime in January, Wojnarowski adds.

Towns underwent an MRI Tuesday morning that showed no structural damage to his Achilles, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Towns left Monday’s game in the third quarter after being injured on a non-contact play. He grabbed the back of his leg and needed help walking to the locker room.

Although there were fears that it could have been worse, the injury is still a major loss for the Wolves, who are off to a 10-11 start after losing Monday. Towns, a three-time All-Star, is averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists through 21 games and is a major component in the team’s offense.

Towns has been adjusting to a new position after Minnesota traded for center Rudy Gobert during the summer. Their on-court partnership has gotten off to a rocky start, and Towns’ absence will provide another setback.