BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns goes for 40, Vanderbilt sets career-high in Minnesota win
I think it’s fair to say Karl-Anthony Towns is feeling like himself again after a short break in health protocols. He and Jarred Vanderbilt combined for 61 in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ win over the Rockets to headline how our former ‘Cats did in the association on Sunday. Let’s take a look.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jarred Vanderbilt secure blowout
Karl-Anthony Towns was trying his best to live a double-life yesterday. One minute he was struggling to come up with common phrases on Wheel of Fortune.
The next, he was almost dropping 40 point triple-doubles in a 141-123 blowout win over the Rockets. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 15-25 shooting from the field. He continued his absurd shooting from outside with a 4-6 mark from deep.
The Timberwolves are back to .500 and Karl-Anthony Towns is putting up All-Star numbers consistently. Things are starting to turn around up in Minnesota and he’s not the only Wildcat driving that change.
Jarred Vanderbilt has been getting some recognition as of late due to his ferocious play on defense and on the boards. He’s become a regular and a key part of what the Timberwolves are trying to accomplish, averaging 1.5 steals and nearly a block a game in 25 minutes of action. If his offensive game can catch up to what he’s doing on defense, watch out.
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Jarred Vanderbilt had a career-high 21 points on 10/14 shooting from the floor. He was one rebound away from making it a 20-20 game. Vanderbilt has this sort of tenacity and ferociousness that people love to see on the floor, and he’s getting recognition from some of the best.
Malik Monk cools off as Ja steals the show
Well, he had to cool off eventually.
After playing at an absurd level for a couple of weeks, Malik Monk had to come back down to Earth with an ugly performance in the 127-119 loss to the Grizzlies on Sunday.
It was more or less an average game for the Lakers during the 2021-22 season. LeBron had 35 points on 14-19 shooting, Russell Westbrook went 2-12 from the field with his usual antics sprinting around the court. Anthony Davis was on the bench with knee issues, all was back to normal.
Except for Malik Monk, who went 3-13 from the floor last night en route to only seven points in the loss. But we can give a pass to the league-minimum player who has been averaging over 20 points a game for a while now. Good thing Ja Morant stole every headline last night being a super-human.
Statistics
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 141-123 W @ HOU | 40 | 15-25 (4-6) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 27 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 141-123 W @ HOU | 21 | 10-14 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 9 |
| Rajon Rondo (CLE) | 96-82 L @ GSW | 15 | 6-10 (3-3) | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | -2 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 103-88 L @ POR | 14 | 6-14 (1-4) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 36 | -12 |
| Eric Bledsoe (LAC) | 106-93 W vs. ATL | 12 | 6-9 (0-2) | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 23 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 99-95 L vs. DEN | 8 | 2-14 (0-3) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 31 | -15 |
| B.J. Boston (LAC) | 106-93 W vs. ATL | 2 | 0-6 (0-3) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | -4 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAC) | 106-93 W vs. ATL | 0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAC) | 121-119 OT/L @ BKN | DNP-Health Protocol | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Willie Cauley-Stein (DAL) | 113-99 W vs. CHI | DNP-Personal | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 127-119 L vs. MEM | DNP-Knee | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
7:00 p.m. (NBA TV) Bucks @ Hornets (Richards, Washington)
7:00 p.m. Jazz @ Pistons (Diallo, Lyles)
7:30 p.m. Spurs (Johnson) @ Knicks (Randle, Quickley, Noel, Knox)
7:30 p.m. Pacers (Jackson*) @ Celtics (Freedom)
8:00 p.m. 76ers (Maxey) @ Rockets (Wall*)
10:00 p.m. Cavaliers (Rondo) @ Kings (Fox)
10:00 p.m. Nets @ Trail Blazers
* — Inactive
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