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BY GEORGE DICKIE The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the surprise stories of the 2021-22 season, making the playoffs for the first time in four years after finishing with a 46-36 record. And now they're ready to take the next step up to join the Warriors and Suns atop the Western Conference. Karl-Anthony Towns will undoubtedly be key here. In their seventh year big man and first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the T'Wolves have an elite talent who can score from the perimeter and make his presence felt in the paint, who will team with newly acquired Rudy Gobert to give them perhaps the most daunting front court in the NBA. The 6-feet-11-inch Towns' numbers last year were typically outstanding: a 24.6 points per game average on 52.9 percent shooting from the field, to go with 9.8 rebounds and an impressive 41 percent success rate from three-point range. His selection as an All-Star for the third time in his career was certainly well deserved. But the big concern is how he will mesh with Gobert. The T'Wolves gave up a king's ransom to get the three-time Defensive Player of the Year in what was clearly a win-now move. Most teams these days are going with smaller, quicker lineups, so they're betting that this so-called "twin towers" experiment will quash those schemes and pay big dividends. Towns and the Timberwolves can be seen twice this week on national television: on the road against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday, Nov. 1, on TNT; and at home against the Milwaukee Bucks Friday, Nov. 4, on ESPN. Towns towers over the competition in Minnesota • FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 6, 2022 • George Lopez stars in "Lopez vs. Lopez," premiering Friday on NBC. YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO TV ENTERTAINMENT

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