BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns drills game-winner in second game back

For 51 games, Karl-Anthony Towns watched his team from the sidelines. It took three months to rehabilitate a strained calf that took much longer to heal than the initially anticipated four to six weeks. For Towns, that process must have felt as long and painful as a Lousiville fan watching their team play basketball this season.

But this week, KAT returned to action and has done nothing but hit game-winning free throws in his first game back and drilled a game-winning three-pointer in his second game back on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors.

The Timberwolves spread its scoring out well against the defending champs, with six players finishing in double figures, but it was Towns who got the ball in the clutch when it mattered most. KAT finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists, as the Timberwolves make a late playoff surge on the momentum of its star player getting back on the court.

Welcome back, KAT.

KAT WITH THE LATE BUCKET TO STEAL THE WIN IN SAN FRANCISCO 😤 pic.twitter.com/WDfIBJQtbx

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 27, 2023

Shaedon Sharpe scores career-high 29 points

It’s a good thing Karl-Anthony Towns hit a game-winner to cap off Sunday evening, or else the headline of this article was likely going to be Shaedon Sharpe scoring a career-high 29 points. On the day when the Final Four was solidified without Kentucky, that would have been a cruel twist of the knife to Big Blue Nation.

Regardless, Sharpe’s dynamic scoring output happened, and he got there on an efficient 9-13 from the field. And, of course, he mixed in an insane dunk for good measure. Despite Sharpe’s breakout game, the Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-118.

OKC’s win came in large part behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s 31 points. He also had a game-high four steals. SGA remains one of the hottest scorers in the league post-All-Star break, almost single-handedly willing his team to the heart of the playoff race. The Thunder currently sit in 10th place in the West, clinging on to the final spot of the Play-In.

Other BBNBA Notes

• Happy birthday, Wenyen Gabriel! The newly-minted 26-year-old has likely had better birthdays as he scored just two in the Lakers’ loss to the Chicago Bulls. Similar to Towns, LeBron James returned from injury but was unable to get his team the win. Jarred Vanderbilt has also seen better games, scoring just four points and grabbing four rebounds. Anthony Davis had 15 points, nine boards, and five assists.
• PJ Washington notched a double-double in the Hornets’ upset win over Dallas Mavericks, putting up 21 points and 12 boards. The loss drops the Mavs to just 5-13 since acquiring Kyrie Irving, dropping Dallas out of the playoffs altogether.

3/27/2023 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	118-112 W vs. POR	31	9-17 (0-1)	2	3	4	0	3	35	+1
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	112-118 L vs. OKC	29	9-13 (3-5)	5	3	0	0	5	35	+11
PJ Washington (CHA)	110-104 W vs. DAL	21	9-22 (3-8)	12	4	1	1	1	31	+6
Anthony Davis (LAL)	108-118 L vs. CHI	15	6-8 (0-0)	9	5	1	1	2	36	+7
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	99-96 W vs. GSW	14	5-16 (4-9)	5	3	2	0	3	32	+7
Kevin Knox (POR)	112-118 L vs. OKC	11	4-9 (3-6)	4	5	0	0	0	15	-8
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	108-118 L vs. CHI	4	2-5 (0-1)	4	0	0	0	1	21	-27
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	108-118 L vs. CHI	2	0-1	2	1	0	1	0	9	-19
Olivier Sarr (OKC)	118-112 W vs. POR	DNP-Inactive
TyTy Washington (HOU)	91-108 L vs. CLE	DNP-G League
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	93-137 L vs. BOS	DNP-Foot
Nick Richards (CHA)	110-104 W vs. DAL	DNP-CD

Tonight in the NBA

7:00: Bucks @ Pistons (Diallo: out)
7:00 (NBA TV): Mavericks @ Pacers (Jackson)
7:30: Rockets (T. Washington: G-League) vs. Knicks (Randle, Quickley)
9:00: Suns (Booker) vs. Jazz
9:30 (NBA TV): 76ers (Maxey) vs. Nuggets (Murray)
10:00: Pelicans @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe, Knox)
10:00: Timberwolves (Towns) @ Kings (Fox: questionable, Monk, Lyles)
10:30: Bulls @ Clippers (Boston: out)