StaTuesday: History of Timberwolves players in NBA All-Star game

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Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t get on the floor much during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. 

But he was efficient -- and a bit flashy, too. 

Playing just 11 minutes in his second career All-Star Game, Towns logged 11 points, three rebounds and one assist to help Team LeBron to a 178-164 comeback win over Team Giannis on Sunday night. 

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How does that All-Star performance stack up in Timberwolves history? 

The event was hosted at Target Center in Minneapolis in 1994, but the Wolves didn’t have an All-Star on the roster until Kevin Garnett and Tom Gugliotta in 1997. 

Since then, Minnesota has sent seven different players to the All-Star Game: Towns, Garnett, Gugliotta, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Sam Cassell and Wally Szczerbiak. On four occasions, they’ve boasted multiple All-Stars in the same season: 2018 (Towns, Butler), 2004 (Garnett, Cassell), 2002 (Garnett, Szczerbiak) and 1997 (Garnett, Gugliotta). 

Garnett, who leads the Timberwolves with 10 appearances, is the only Wolves player to take home the All-Star Game MVP award. Garnett did it in 2003, powering the Western Conference to a 155-145 win over the East behind his 37 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Garnett sunk 17 of 24 attempts from the field in that game.  

His big night overshadowed the storyline of that All-Star weekend -- what would go down as Michael Jordan’s final All-Star Game. Then with Washington, Jordan had 20 points (9-of-27 shooting), five rebounds and two assists. 

Garnett is also responsible for one of the, uh, more unspectacular All-Star performances. In 2006, Garnett made just one of nine field-goal attempts and finished the night with two points, nine rebounds and four assists. The 2006 All-Star Game was the first time Garnett wasn’t named an All-Star starter since 1997. 

Garnett is the only Timberwolves player to tally 20+ points in the showcase game, doing it twice (2000, 2003). Other notable performances include 17 points from Kevin Love in 2012 and Towns’ double-double just a year ago, his first All-Star appearance. 

Check out every Timberwolves All-Star box score below: