BBNBA: Karl-Anthony Towns' triple-double leads Wolves to victory
As I’m sure it was for most of us out there, we were all a little preoccupied with Conference Championship Sunday in the NFL yesterday. While the NBA snuck under the radar, we still had some monster performances from former ‘Cats like Karl-Anthony Towns that we absolutely need to address. Let’s go.
Karl-Anthony Towns stands out in a much-needed win
The Minnesota Timberwolves have spent most of the year simply refusing to get away from the .500 mark in terms of their record. It’s just a matter of inconsistency. At some points, they look like a team with three top-2 pick players that are destined for the playoffs. At other times, they still look like the franchise that will ruin your star player’s prime. I don’t expect this trend to change all that much this year. Yesterday’s win over the Jazz though was one of the higher moments Karl-Anthony Towns and Minnesota have had this year.
Karl-Anthony Towns was in his absolute bag last night against a Utah team that was missing Rudy Gobert. Karl-Anthony Towns dropped in his 31 points on 10-17 shooting with a 3-4 mark from deep. He also went 8-9 from the free-throw line. For somebody who already averages nearly 25 points and 10 rebounds a game, it’s a bit surprising that tonight was only KAT’s second career triple-double. Especially since it’s common knowledge that he’s not an awful passer.
Or maybe, this is all just because he was snubbed from being an All-Star starter. Who knows?
Malik Monk, Anthony Davis combine for 60 in Lakers loss
When it’s not the LeBron James Show for Los Angeles these days, it sets the stage for former ‘Cats to shine. Yesterday, we just so happened to have a pair of Wildcats do just that.
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Malik Monk stole the show with a career-high 33 points on 12-19 shooting with an absolutely absurd 8-14 mark from behind the arc. We’ve seen Monk break out a few times already this season when given ample opportunity. This though? This was the masterclass performance that makes arguably him the greatest player to ever be surviving on a league-minimum contract. To add on, Malik Monk grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists in 38 minutes of action in the 129-121 loss to Atlanta.
Joining him yesterday was Anthony Davis, who is still trying to get back into form after dealing with whatever injury he gets on a seemingly daily basis. Davis had one of his good nights yesterday in the LA loss, though. He finished with 27 points on 10-20 shooting in 36 minutes of action. He added five rebounds and four assists in the contest. I don’t think anyone truly knows what the Lakers will become this season, but at least we have a few of our guys to root for.
Statistics
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Malik Monk (LAL) | 129-121 L @ ATL | 33 | 12-19 (8-14) | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 38 | -4 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 126-106 W vs. UTA | 31 | 10-17 (3-4) | 11 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 20 |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 115-110 W vs. SAS | 28 | 12-24 (4-9) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 38 | -12 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 129-121 L @ ATL | 27 | 10-20 (1-3) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 36 | -3 |
| B.J. Boston (LAC) | 115-90 W @ CHA | 19 | 8-14 (1-3) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 115-110 L @ PHX | 16 | 6-16 (2-8) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 11 |
| Trey Lyles (DET) | 115-105 W vs. CLE | 15 | 4-7 (1-1) | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 13 |
| P.J. Washington (CHA) | 115-90 L vs. LAC | 10 | 3-14 (2-9) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | -18 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 115-110 W vs. CLE | 6 | 3-9 (0-2) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | -20 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 126-106 W vs. UTA | 5 | 2-8 (0-1) | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 8 |
| Rajon Rondo (CLE) | 115-105 L @ DET | 3 | 1-6 (1-4) | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19 | -5 |
| Eric Bledsoe (LAC) | 115-90 W @ CHA | 3 | 1-1 (1-1) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 23 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 115-90 L vs. LAC | 1 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 129-121 W vs. LAL | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| DeMarcus Cousins (DEN) | 136-100 W @ MIL | DNP – Foot | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
7:00 p.m. Clippers (Boston, Bledsoe) @ Pacers (Jackson)
7:00 p.m. Grizzlies @ 76ers (Maxey)
7:00 p.m. Pelicans @ Cavaliers (Rondo)
7:30 p.m. (NBA TV) Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Celtics (Freedom)
7:30 p.m. Kings (Fox) @ Knicks (Randle, Quickley, Noel)
7:30 p.m. Raptors @ Hawks (Knox)
8:00 p.m. Trail Blazers @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander)
8:00 p.m. Warriors @ Rockets
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