[Spears] Karl-Anthony Towns said he still has a big piece of his last birthdaу cake that his mother gave him in 2019 in his freezer that means the world to him. “I know it’s not good to eat, but it’s a memento as one of the last things she gave me,” Towns said.

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And considering the pain Towns has endured since the dеath of his mother last year, being happy on the hardwood has helped him become happier in his life.

“I got a lot to be happy about in life,” Towns told The Undefeated after earning 28 points and 10 rebounds during a 110-96 win over the Pelicans on Nov 22. “There are a lot of things that can go wrong, but I’m just worried about the good that can come out. I don’t think it’s fully back.

“It’s waves. It’s a bunch of waves. I am on a good wave right now where I am feeling positive. The team is winning. A winning streak [helped] a lot. But, I feel really good.”

Towns’ smile and positive outlook are a welcome sign now for the Timberwolves after he endured his mother’s death on April 13, 2020. Jacqueline Cruz-Towns died due to COVID-19 complications that lasted for about a month. She was 58 years old, and the vaccine was months away from being readily available at that time.

Towns told The Undefeated he forgot about his 26th birthdaу on Nov. 15 until he was reminded about it by his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, who celebrated it with him. The reason why it slipped his mind was because it was his mother who always made his “birthday special.” Towns said he still has a big piece of his last birthday cake that his mother gave him in 2019 in his freezer that means the world to him.

“I know it’s not good to eat, but it’s a memento as one of the last things she gave me,” Towns said. “Birthdaуs and stuff like that haven’t been really special to me, because she was the one who made it really special for me. She was the one who got me amped to have a birthdaу or to have that moment. But my girl did an amazing job of filling her shoes in and making it special.”

Towns also told The Undefeated that holidays don’t feel the same without his mother and she always made Thanksgiving special. The 2015-2016 NBA Rookie of the Year said last week he was planning to spend a relaxing Thanksgiving alone, with space to reflect on his mother.

“I’m going to spend some time with myself, realign, have a spiritual day and pray a lot, have some spiritual moments with my mom, hopefully,” Towns said. “And just really chill. Have some leftovers, maybe, whatever it be.”

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What will keep Towns happy and smiling after enduring so much pain on and off the court is winning. Not being an All-Star again or the accolades that come with stardom. Winning.

“I’m more worried about the playoffs,” Towns said. “The way I perform every year of my career, I’ve been more than deserving of All-Star. So, I’m not worried about that. I just want to win. If you really want to, you can talk about All-Stars. In my experience, no matter what the stats you get, no matter how well you playing, no matter how historic your numbers are, it’s all about: Is your team winning or not?”