Optimism Karl-Anthony Towns might have avoided substantial injury

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns will have an MRI on his right calf Tuesday, but there’s early optimism he may have avoided a significant injury to his right lower leg, sources told ESPN Monday night.

Towns suffered a non-contact injury in Washington Monday night, turning and running down the floor, reaching backwards to grab his calf and leaving uncertainty as to whether he sustained an Achilles injury.

Towns needed help exiting court for the dressing room, but an initial examination suggested Towns’ imaging was unlikely to show severe damage upon return to Minnesota.

The Timberwolves initially described the injury as a calf strain and ruled Towns out for the remainder of the game.

Minnesota lost 142-127 to the Wizards, falling to 10-11 in the season.

Towns, 27, has averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 20 games for the Timberwolves. In eight NBA seasons, he averaged 23.1 points and 11.2 rebounds. The Timberwolves have been trying to make a Towns-Rudy Gobert partnership work on the team’s front line by bringing together two All-Star 7-footers.