BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return; Devin Booker, Shaedon Sharpe go off
What a night of storylines for BBNBA action. The one that takes the cake, however, was Karl-Anthony Towns‘ return to action. Towns was expected back Wednesday night after a calf injury sidelined him for 51 straight games. Roughly four months later, he finally returned to action.
A few times this season we’ve seen our beloved BBNBA eased back into their respective rotations when returning from injury. Tyrese Maxey was gradually worked back into the system with the 76ers. This wasn’t the case for Towns.
KAT started Wednesday night for the Minnesota Timberwolves and played a hefty 26 minutes in his return. Towns made sure to make it memorable. He finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists as Minnesota beat the Atlanta Hawks 125-124.
Trailing by one with seven seconds left, the Timberwolves would need KAT to show why he’s the man for the big occasion. Out of an Atlanta timeout with under seven seconds to play, Towns got the ball and drove against John Collins. KAT was fouled and sent to the line for two high-pressure free throws. What a welcome back, right? It was like nothing had changed though. Towns continues to be the clutch beast who has proven himself in the league.
With 3.6 seconds remaining, he sunk both free throws and the Timberwolves hung on to win.
Safe to say, Mr. Towns was feeling himself in the postgame interview. “This is what movies is made of. Four months away, I come back. Two free throws, don’t worry about it. I got that.”
His scoring will help Minnesota make a playoff push, as they’re one game back from the sixth spot in the West. The only piece the T-Wolves are missing now is Anthony Edwards. Look out once they’re healthy; game on Minnesota.
Hello, rook
It was a night of career highs for Shaedon Sharpe. Sharpe was outstanding, as Portland beat Utah 127-115. In only his sixth start of the year, he dropped 24 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. The rookie was also given 39 minutes of playing time. The points, steals, rebounds, and minutes were all career highs for Sharpe because of his limited role throughout the season.
However, Wednesday night there were no limitations on the young man. With no clipped wings, Sharpe soared.
It really was a highlight reel performance for the Canadian. Sharpe shot 4-7 from beyond the arc, was hitting mid-ranges, getting to the cup like an NBA veteran, and of course mixing in a nasty dunk here or there.
While the “What could have been?” question still looms ever so largely considering Sharpe’s bag is as deep as Lake Tahoe, the rookie has been consistent throughout the year. He’s featured in all but one of Portland’s games this season. The trust that the organization is putting in him is commendable. Especially when fellow BBNBA brother and ex-teammate TyTy Washington Jr. is struggling to become a consistent piece as a rookie for the Rockets.
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Sharpe is averaging 8.1 PPG on a struggling Trail Blazers squad. Portland sits at 32-40 and is three and a half games back from Play-In territory. A miraculous run will be needed in the Pacific Northwest for postseason hoops to be secured. With the Blazers trending downwards, Sharpe trends positively for an organization whose window is getting more shut by the day.
Big names, big nights
BBNBA was on full display in two massive showdowns Wednesday night. Out West, the Suns and the Lakers dueled it out. In the East, Miami and New York battled.
We’ll begin with the Western Conference contest.
The Los Angeles Lakers topped the Phoenix Suns 122-111, thanks in part to an inspired performance from Anthony Davis. Davis led the LeBron-less Lakers in scoring with 27 points on 10-18 shooting. AD nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds on the night. Jarred Vanderbilt chimed in with 13 points and four rebounds, while Wenyen Gabriel added six points and two assists. The Lakers see themselves barely above the Play-In line, one game above .500. What a finish to the season it will be for the Purple and Gold as they look to keep their postseason hopes alive.
On the losing end, Devin Booker went off for Phoenix. Booker led all scorers with 33 points, despite Phoenix’s losing effort. That’s two consecutive losses for the Suns after being bested in Los Angeles. However, for Booker, well, he’s been on a heater. 46 points for him on Sunday night followed by last night’s explosion has him hitting the right strides as the season winds down.
Now to the Eastern Conference, where the Heat beat the Knicks 127-120. Tyler Herro led the BBNBA in this contest with 22 points. Herro cashed in on four 3-pointers in Miami’s win. Bam Adebayo also went to work dropping 15 points and seven boards.
Meanwhile, Julius Randle couldn’t mimic his career-high night from Monday. Randle went for a more quiet 15 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Immanuel Quickley didn’t see too much action, only checking in for 18 minutes where he finished with five points on the night.
Other BBNBA notes
- Tyrese Maxey showed out in Philadelphia’s 116-91 win over Chicago. Maxey dropped 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. The Sixers are on a roll, winning nine of their last 10.
- Jamal Murray went for 17 points and eight assists in Denver’s 118-104 win in the nation’s capital. The Nuggets stand three and a half games clear atop the Western Conference.
- Isaiah Jackson made some noise in Indiana’s 118-114 win over Toronto. Jackson finished with five points and six boards off the bench.
BBNBA Statistics for 3/22/2023
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 122-111 L @ LAL | 33 | 11-16 (1-3) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 40 | 0 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 122-111 W vs. PHX | 27 | 10-18 (0-0) | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 38 | +13 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 127-115 W @ UTA | 24 | 9-19 (4-7) | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 39 | +28 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 125-124 W vs. ATL | 22 | 8-18 (2-3) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 26 | +13 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 127-120 W vs. NYK | 22 | 8-13 (4-7) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 32 | +7 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 116-91 W @ CHI | 21 | 8-19 (4-8) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | +35 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 118-104 W @ WAS | 17 | 7-13 (3-6) | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 33 | +22 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 127-120 W vs. NYK | 15 | 5-11 (0-0) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 39 | 0 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 127-120 L @ MIA | 15 | 7-16 (1-5) | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 35 | -6 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 122-111 W vs. PHX | 13 | 5-5 (0-0) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | +8 |
| Kevin Knox II (POR) | 127-115 W @ UTA | 10 | 4-8 (1-4) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | +7 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 122-111 W vs. PHX | 6 | 2-2 (0-0) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 16 | -3 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 127-120 L @ MIA | 5 | 1-8 (1-5) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 118-114 W @ TOR | 5 | 2-2 (0-0) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU) | 130-125 L @ MEM | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 134-90 L @ MIL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00 (NBA TV): Knicks (Randle, Quickley) @ Magic
7:30: Cavaliers @ Nets
8:00: Hornets (PJ Washington, Richards) @ Pelicans
10:30 (NBA TV): Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Sarr) @ Clippers (Boston Jr.: out)
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