BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns keeps the Timberwolves rolling

While there was a lack of breakout performances last night in the NBA, we still had some ‘Cats such as Karl-Anthony Towns doing their normal thing on Sunday. Let’s dive right in.

Karl-Anthony Towns leads all scorers in win over Detroit

The Timberwolves are trying to stick right in the thick of the playoff race now as they move to 28-25 on the season after a 118-105 win over Detroit on Sunday. For a team that has huddled around the .500 mark all season, this stretch may be the sign of a team finally breaking out and cementing themselves as real competition.

But like I said, we’ll see. What we know is that Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most dominant big men in the game and would like to let you know about it.

yet another double-double from KAT 😼

24 points & 12 boards pic.twitter.com/smOlNYtFmH

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 7, 2022

KAT put up those 24 points on 18 shots, including a 2-3 mark from deep. Just another basic performance from the All-Star. Let’s move on.

Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t the only Wildcat on the floor in Minnesota last night, though nobody else found quite the same success that he did. For the ‘Wolves, Jarred Vanderbilt did not have the ideal night in terms of the production he would like to accumulate. Vando finished with two points and five rebounds in 26 minutes of action.

On the other side, we got to see Hamidou Diallo and Trey Lyles combine for 27 for the Pistons. Diallo had 11 points and six rebounds out of the starting spot while Lyles poured in 16 points in 17 minutes of action.

Tyrese Maxey fits his role in Philadelphia’s win

In the city of Philadelphia, all it takes is for someone to not be Ben Simmons and the city will wrap their arms around them so fast until they have a reason to start throwing trash at you. Tyrese Maxey has been in the honeymoon phase all season with Sixers fans, and for good reason. The star point guard is averaging almost 17 points per game while dishing out nearly five assists in those contests. All while shooting 40.7% from three, a 10 percent increase from his rookie year.

Tyrese Maxey’s 16-point, six-assist performance last night fit all too well for Philly. First off, it’s just Maxey having another complete game where he grows into the star point guard that the 76ers believe they have for the future. In the present, he’s creating the perfect pairing for Joel Embiid who went off again last night. Embiid finished with 40 points and 10 rebounds in only 32 minutes of action. The speed and spacing forced by Maxey are giving Embiid more looks than ever before.

While in fifth place currently out in the Eastern Conference, it won’t take much of a run for Philly to get back into the conversation for the one-seed. With Tyrese Maxey progressing the way he is, that hope isn’t far-fetched at all.

Statistics

Player	Result	Points	FG (3PA)	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Minutes	+/-
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	118-105 W vs. DET	24	11-18 (2-3)	12	2	0	1	3	38	8
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	119-108 W @ CHI	16	6-9 (3-4)	4	6	3	0	0	38	11
Trey Lyles (DET)	118-105 L @ MIN	16	6-13 (1-3)	7	1	0	0	0	17	-20
Rajon Rondo (CLE)	98-85 W vs. IND	15	5-10 (1-4)	5	12	1	0	2	32	26
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	118-105 L @ MIN	11	5-11 (0-2)	6	0	2	0	0	22	7
DeMarcus Cousins (DEN)	124-104 W vs. BKN	5	2-6 (1-2)	9	2	0	0	1	16	-7
Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN)	118-105 W vs. DET	2	1-3	5	1	0	1	1	26	-3
B.J. Boston (LAC)	137-113 L vs. MIL	2	1-2 (0-1)	0	0	0	0	0	4	-3
Enes Freedom (BOS)	116-83 W @ ORL	DNP -Coach’s Decision	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Kevin Knox (ATL)	103-94 L @ DAL	DNP – Coach’s Decision	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	98-85 L @ CLE	DNP – Ankle	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Today in the NBA

7:00 p.m. Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Wizards

7:00 p.m. Raptors @ Hornets (Washington, Richards)

8:00 p.m. (NBA TV) Suns (Booker) @ Bulls

8:00 p.m. Warriors @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander*)

9:00 p.m. Knicks (Randle, Noel, Quickley) @ Jazz

* – Inactive