BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns goes for 32/20 in return to Minnesota

For the first time since being traded from the Timberwolves to the Knicks in the offseason, Karl-Anthony Towns finally made his return to Minnesota, the place where his NBA career started, on Thursday night. He made sure to give his former fan base a good show, too.

Towns and the New York Knicks took it right to the Timberwolves in a dominant 133-107 victory. The former Kentucky big man exploded for 32 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in his 37 minutes of action. He nearly had a Lamont Butler-esque shooting performance, going 10-12 from the field overall while making all five of his shots from deep.

The Minnesota faithful honored Towns, who spent the first nine years of his professional life with the franchise, with a pregame video tribute and a loud ovation from the nearly 19,000 fans in attendance. Pretty cool stuff for a very likable person. Towns’ father was also there to soak in the moment.

Karl-Anthony Towns ovation pic.twitter.com/chlZsrkfQy

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) December 20, 2024

The Knicks are now 17-10 on the season (third in the East) having won six of its last seven games. Towns, who is producing arguably the best individual season of his entire career, has been key in helping lead the charge.

But let’s not forget that Towns was traded to New York in exchange for another former ‘Cat, Julius Randle. In the loss for Minnesota, Randle contributed 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists with five turnovers in 30 minutes while shooting 8-17 from the field (4-8 3PT). Rookie guard Rob Dillingham saw 16 minutes of action, chipping in four points and five rebounds on 2-7 shooting.

SGA can’t stop scoring over 30 points

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s third MVP campaign is once again off to a terrific start. In a 105-99 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night over the Orlando Magic, he went for another 30-burger. This time, he finished with 35 points (his fifth straight game with at least 30 points) on 15-26 shooting in addition to six assists, four rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in 36 minutes. SGA is currently second in Basketball-Reference’s MVP Tracker with a 25 percent chance to win the award.

Joining him in OKC’s starting backcourt was second-year guard Cason Wallace, who has quickly become a fan favorite within the Thunder fanbase as a defensive menace. Wallace recorded five points, one rebound, and one block in 21 minutes of play. OKC has now won six straight games and sits atop the Western Conference standings with a record of 21-5.

Sharpe’s 27 overshadows Murray’s 24

A game-winner at the buzzer from Anfernee Simons allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to upset Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets, 122-120. But Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe also played a significant role in ending the team’s six-game losing skid. Sharpe was productive in the win with 27 points (9-18 FG), six rebounds, and four assists in just 28 minutes. 11 of those points came in the fourth quarter. It marked his 13th game with at least 25 points, the most in franchise history by any player before turning 22 years old.

Sharpe’s big night (plus the win) was enough to overshadow Murray’s 24-point outing for the Nuggets. Murray also dished out 10 assists for just his second double-double of the season. He shot 9-19 from the field including a 3-6 clip from deep while adding three rebounds and three steals to his stat line.

Other BBNBA notes…

• De’Aaron Fox (26 points) and Malik Monk (17) combined for 43 points for the Sacramento Kings, but it wasn’t enough to overpower Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in a 113-100 loss. Davis did his best Karl-Anthony Towns impression by recording 21 points, 19 rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and three steals. Sheesh. He only shot 7-20 from the floor and suffered a hard fall in the fourth quarter, but he responded down the stretch with a big defensive stop to seal the Lakers win.
• Devin Booker wasn’t his usual self as the Phoenix Suns lost to the Indiana Pacers 120-111. Booker finished with 17 points on 5-10 shooting with six assists, but the Suns needed double that production to pull this out.

12/19/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	105-99 W @ ORL	35	15-26 (1-5)	4	6	4	2	4	-6	36
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	133-107 W @ MIN	32	10-12 (5-5)	20	6	2	0	4	31	37
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	126-124 W vs. DEN	27	9-18 (2-8)	6	4	0	0	0	4	28
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	113-100 L vs. LAL	26	7-17 (2-5)	3	5	3	0	4	-10	35
Julius Randle (MIN)	133-107 L vs. NYK	24	8-17 (4-8)	5	3	0	0	5	-13	30
Jamal Murray (DEN)	126-124 L @ POR	24	9-19 (3-6)	3	10	3	0	1	1	38
Anthony Davis (LAL)	113-100 W @ SAC	21	7-20 (0-1)	19	4	3	6	3	19	35
Devin Booker (PHX)	120-111 L vs. IND	17	5-10 (0-3)	2	6	1	0	1	-9	25
Malik Monk (SAC)	113-100 L vs. LAL	17	7-15 (3-10)	3	4	1	0	5	-18	37
PJ Washington (DAL)	118-95 L vs. LAC	14	5-13 (3-4)	9	0	2	1	2	-13	35
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	133-126 (OT) W vs. ATL	11	5-9 (1-2)	5	4	2	0	2	5	29
Nick Richards (CHA)	123-114 L @ WAS	8	3-6	7	1	0	0	0	-13	17
Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP)	133-113 L @ HOU	7	3-9 (1-2)	3	3	3	0	1	1	21
Cason Wallace (OKC)	105-99 W @ ORL	5	2-3 (1-2)	1	0	0	1	0	-9	21
Johhny Juzang (UTA)	126-119 W @ DET	5	2-5 (1-2)	3	0	0	0	0	-16	13
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	133-107 L vs. NYK	4	2-7 (0-3)	1	5	0	0	2	-8	16
Antonio Reeves (NOP)	133-113 L @ HOU	3	1-2 (1-2)	0	0	0	0	0	-1	2
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	133-113 W vs. NOP	2	1-4 (0-1)	3	0	1	1	1	-3	15
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	113-100 W @ SAC	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	101-94 L vs. BKN	DNP-Elbow	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jacob Toppin (NYK)	133-107 W @ MIN	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Trey Lyles (SAC)	113-100 L vs. LAL	DNP-Calf	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	120-111 W @ PHX	DNP-Achilles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

• 7:00 PM | Hornets (Richards) @ 76ers (Maxey)
• 7:30 PM | Bucks @ Cavaliers
• 8:00 PM | Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace) @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)