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Towns not worried about slow start to playoffs: 'You can't be frustrated'

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

Karl-Anthony Towns picked the most inopportune time for his scoring to drop off.

With his Minnesota Timberwolves now trailing 2-0 in their opening-round series against the No. 1-seeded Houston Rockets, the All-Star center - who has a grand total of 13 points across those two outings - said he won't allow himself to get down in the dumps.

"You can't be frustrated," Towns said following Minnesota's 102-82 Game 2 defeat on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "No time to be frustrated. Too much positive energy has to go the right way. There ain't no time for negativity. There ain't no time for frustration. There ain't no time to hang your head down. We've got to move on and try to win the next game."

Towns couldn't buy a bucket in his 24 minutes of action in Game 2, connecting on just two of his nine shot attempts for five points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a shot, with Minnesota getting outscored by 21 when he saw the floor.

This anemic performance came three nights after he dropped just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in Game 1, though the end result was much closer than it was Wednesday (104-101 loss).

"I just go out here and I just try to find ways to win," Towns added. "I'm not looking for statistics and all that hype and glory and all that B.S., that doesn't matter. I'm here for wins and dubs - whatever I've got to do to win the game."

Towns is actually off to a historically weak start to the playoffs for a player of his caliber. His 13 points through two games are tied for the third fewest in NBA history by a player who averaged 20 or more during the regular season. He ranked 20th in the Association in scoring in 2017-18 by averaging 21.3 points on 54.5 percent shooting, with that percentage plummeting to 27.8 percent so far in the playoffs.

The last time the 22-year-old scored fewer than 10 points in consecutive games was during his rookie campaign in 2015-16. Towns scored in single digits nine times that season, once the next, and then twice this season.

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