BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Drops 30; Karl-Anthony Towns set to return

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a top-five scorer in the NBA.

The former Wildcat has been proving to the entire world how great he truly is, involving the Thunder in the playoff picture now in late March. The Thunder cemented themselves as more than a pesky team with a 101-100 win against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

SGA led the charge on the offensive end with a 31-point performance on 12-25 shooting. Defensively, Lu Dort and Josh Giddey stayed with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, holding them both to manageable games. Former ‘Cat Olivier Sarr also added two blocks and six rebounds in 19 minutes of action for OKC.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is LEADING THE NBA in scoring since the All-Star break with 35.6 PPG! pic.twitter.com/0RBkFRZMM2

— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) March 21, 2023

The Thunder also decided to confuse every member of press row by starting two players with the same name: Jalen and Jaylin Williams. Most Kentucky fans know Jaylin as the Arkansas forward of last season that decided taking five charges per game was a reasonable thing to do. However, it was the other Jalen Williams (of Santa Clara University) that dropped 20 points en route to the win.

SGA’s performance Tuesday night continues a long line of dominating games from the All-Star. He’s averaging 35.6 ppg since the All-Star break, which obviously leads the entire NBA. Watch out, it’s SGA time in the Western Conference, and your favorite team may be his next target.

KAT’s return excites NBA

Karl Anthony-Towns is set to return for the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. This is despite his prolonged rehabilitation process over the past few months. KAT was previously out with an injured calf that sidelined him for 51 straight games this season, but he’s set to return with no minute restriction tonight, according to ESPN.

“I’m just trying to pick up where I left off,” Towns told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “I was telling my dad right before I got hurt, I felt the most complete as a player in my career. From the defensive end, from the offensive end, from a mental aspect, leadership aspect… I felt very complete.”

Towns’ return will undoubtedly be significant for the Timberwolves and their fans. He’s one of the league’s most talented and dynamic bigs, and the Timberwolves faithful have felt his absence. With Towns back in the lineup, Minnesota will hope to make a strong push toward the playoffs.

After missing 51 straight games with a Grade 3 calf strain, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns will return tonight vs. Atlanta Hawks barring setback in pregame, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nine games remaining as T'Wolves battle for playoff positioning. pic.twitter.com/t7rxbqJ5ww

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 22, 2023

Minnesota currently sits in ninth in the Western Conference with a 36-37 record, in the hunt for a playoff push. The return of KAT pairs the best shooting big with Rudy Gobert, the three-time NBA defensive player of the year. Minnesota two went 10-11 to start this season when both were in the lineup. Also, the T-Wolves have one of the best young players in the NBA, Anthony Edwards. So look out for this franchise as a sleeper team in the West.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• De’Aaron Fox and The Beam Team suffered a defeat to the Boston Celtics. Fox finished the game with 18 points on 6-11 shooting. Other ‘Cats Malik Monk and Trey Lyles both played not-so-well in the loss. Monk finished with six points on 1-7 shooting while Lyles failed to record a point. The Kings will be back in action against Devin Booker and the Suns on Friday night.

BBNBA Stats:

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	101-100 W @ LAC	31	12-25 (1-4)	7	4	0	0	4	36	-5
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	109-132 L vs. BOS	18	6-11 (2-5)	1	3	0	0	1	29	-34
Malik Monk (SAC)	109-132 L vs. BOS	6	1-7 (0-4)	1	2	1	1	0	17	-19
Trey Lyles (SAC)	109-132 L vs. BOS	0	0-1 (0-1)	5	0	0	1	2	10	-4
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	84-119 L @ NOP	DNP- Neck Injury

Tonight in the NBA:

7:00: Nuggets (Murray) @ Wizards
7:30: Knicks (Quickley, Randle) @ Heat (Herro, Adebayo)
7:30: Pacers (Jackson) @ Raptors
7:30 (ESPN): Warriors @ Mavericks
8:00: 76ers (Maxey) @ Bulls
8:00: Rockets (TyTy Washington: G League) @ Grizzlies
8:00: Spurs (Johnson: questionable) @ Bucks
8:00: Hawks @ Timberwolves (Towns)
9:00: Trail Blazers (Sharpe) @ Jazz
10:00 (ESPN): Suns (Booker) @ Lakers (Davis: probable, Gabriel, Vanderbilt)