A back injury will sideline Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns on Friday night. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns out at Nets with back injury

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 12/3/21

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was the key figure of a scary fall late in Wednesday's 115-107 loss to the Washington Wizards that dropped Minnesota to 11-11 on the season:

X-rays showed that Towns suffered no alarming back injury, but NBA insider Shams Charania raised eyes when he reported the 26-year-old had been ruled out for Friday's matchup at the 15-6 Brooklyn Nets. The Timberwolves later confirmed the news.

Towns scored 34 points on Wednesday before he gave his team and onlookers quite a scare.

"I feel better than I thought I was going to feel," he initially said shortly after his spill, according to The Associated Press (h/t NBA.com). His status for Friday's contest was nevertheless up in the air heading into the evening hours.

As noted by ESPN stats, Towns leads the Timberwolves with 24.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He's tied for the team lead with 1.0 blocks per contest and is first among Minnesota starters with a 23.20 player efficiency rating.

Logic suggests backup Naz Reid will see additional minutes in Towns' absence:

After going undrafted and his start in the G-League, Naz Reid fought his way into the NBA and an integral role with the Timberwolves.

His motivation is simple: "I’ve got mouths to feed."

Get to know @NazReid in this week's Friday Conversation by @APOOCH
— Sports Section (@SportsSection) December 3, 2021