KAT: Return from COVID-19 absence is 'news to me'

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Return from COVID-19 absence is 'news to me'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Feb 10, 2021 4:40 PM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves, holders of the Western Conference's worst record (6-18), can't rely on good news this winter.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday afternoon that star big man Karl-Anthony Towns will return from his COVID-19 absence and play versus the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

However, Towns took to Twitter to deny the report:

This is news to me! Last time I checked, I was gonna go through shootaround and see how I feel. Underlying conditions and Covid don’t mix well. https://t.co/1fZHSTWnEt
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) February 10, 2021

Towns confirmed on Jan. 15 that he tested positive for the coronavirus, and he has missed 13 consecutive games while recovering. Without the 25-year-old in the lineup since Jan. 13, Minnesota tallied only three victories and plummeted to the bottom of the conference standings.

The positive test result was the latest brutal setback for the two-time All-Star. He couldn't be blamed for wanting to make sure he's 100% before he returns. Towns' mother died last April following a bout with COVID-19, and he told reporters in December that seven total relatives had passed away because of complications linked with the coronavirus.

One thing for sure is that Clippers star Paul George won't play against Minnesota due to a swollen right toe that is on track to cost him at least four games.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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