BBNBA: Timberwolves stomp Lakers, SGA and Devin Booker score 30+
We had a ton of former ‘Cats put up big numbers during Wednesday’s NBA action. Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns led their teams to victory while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to score huge in Thunder losses. Let’s talk.
T-Wolves latest team to beat up Lakers
The best team since the NBA All-Star Break met the worst team since the NBA All-Star break on Wednesday. The Lakers lost their league-leading NINTH game since the break and are just 2-9 over that span — even with LeBron James in the starting lineup. Just a putrid season for everyone besides the King in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves train kept on rollin’. Karl-Anthony Towns only played 26 minutes in the 20-point win over the Lakers but still scored 30 points to follow up his SIXTY from the other day. Minnesota is 10-2 since the break, leading the league in wins and net-rating while ranking second in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They’re on quite the heater.
The success on the court ramped up over the last few weeks, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. Since the start of the year, Minnesota has played like one of the best teams in the NBA. In 2022 alone, the T-Wolves have the fourth-best record in the NBA and the best offense by a significant margin. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Timberwolves can absolutely win a playoff series or two. And after the Lakers win, they’ve clinched at least a play-in appearance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on fire since All-Star break
Man, some of our former ‘Cats have come out of the All-Star break with mutant basketball abilities. KAT scored 60 points and his team is bowling through the opposition, Tyler Herro locked up Sixth Man of the Year, De’Aaron Fox is scoring 30 a night and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the most productive player of the bunch.
Since the break, SGA is averaging 30.7 points a game on 54% shooting from the field and 35.4% from three. Ungodly numbers for the only player worth guarding on his terrible Thunder team. That scoring number ranks eighth among all NBA players over that span, and only Ja Morant is younger than Gilgeous-Alexander on the list.
He poured in 34 points in 34 minutes on Wednesday night in a predictable two-point loss in San Antonio. For fun I cracked the numbers on his points-per-minute over his hot stretch. Shai Gilegous-Alexander is scoring .87 points per minute as of late. Just completely unstoppable whenever he’s been on the court.
Top 10
- 1
Memphis shakes up CFP
Tigers upsets changes CFP picture
- 2
A Twisted Mess
Big 12 Championship scenarios
- 3Trending
Saban chirped
Big 12 comes after GOAT
- 4Hot
Underranked SEC
Lane Kiffin protests CFP rankings
- 5
UConn star hospitalized
Alex Karaban hospitalized at Maui Invitational
Check out his work against one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA:
Devin Booker leads blowout win in Houston
One of the few teams better than Minnesota since January 1st is the Phoenix Suns. Of course, they boast the best record in the entire NBA to this point, and even without Chris Paul, they figure to lock down the one-seed in the Western Conference fairly easily as the regular season winds down.
More performances like the one on Wednesday will go a long way in accomplishing that feat. Devin Booker took matters into his own hands against the worst defense in the NBA. D-Book amassed 36 points on 15-24 shooting and dished out four assists as he continues to run the offense in Paul’s absence.
The Rockets offered little resistance to Booker’s impressive showing as Phoenix tightened its lead on the best record in the league, now posting a 56-14 record through 70 games. That’s eight games ahead of any other team. Win a couple more and Phoenix will have locked down homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
Other NBA Notes
Maxey plays well in road win over Cavs. Philadelphia fell to the Nuggets on national TV the other night but rebounded to beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland, helped by Tyrese Maxey’s 25 points on 9-15 shooting. The Harden-Embiid duo slowed down a bit in the last week or so, but the entire Big Three, including Maxey, handled business against a playoff team on the road.
Quickley scores efficient 18 points in Knicks blowout. The only team with fewer wins than the Lakers since the All-Star Break is Portland. The Blazers dropped to 1-9 following a 30-point loss to the Knicks. Julius Randle didn’t play his best, but Immanuel Quickley made four of five shots, all three of his triples, and hit seven free throws to score 18 points. That’ll get it done.
| Player | Result | Points | FG(3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Booker (PHO) | 129-112 W @ HOU | 36 | 15-24 (5-12) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 36 | +12 |
| Shai Gilegous-Alexander (OKC) | 122-120 L @ SAS | 34 | 14-22 (1-4) | 6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34 | -8 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 124-104 W vs. LAL | 30 | 8-15 (1-3) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 26 | +17 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 118-114 W @ CLE | 25 | 9-15 (3-6) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38 | -1 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 122-120 W vs. OKC | 22 | 8-16 (5-10) | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | +12 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 135-126 L vs. MIL | 21 | 8-23 (3-11) | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 37 | -5 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 128-98 W vs. POR | 20 | 5-18 (0-5) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 33 | +24 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 128-98 W vs. POR | 18 | 4-5 (3-3) | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 25 | +17 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 116-106 W vs. ATL | 16 | 6-10 (2-4) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 | +9 |
| DeMarcus Cousins (DEN) | 127-109 W @ WAS | 14 | 6-12 (1-4) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | +1 |
| Malik Monk (LAL) | 124-104 L @ MIN | 13 | 5-12 (1-4) | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29 | -8 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 135-126 L vs. MIL | 12 | 5-10 (2-5) | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | -15 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 103-100 L vs. TOR | DNP – CD | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 124-104 L @ MIN | DNP – Ankle | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 128-98 W vs. POR | DNP – Foot | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rajon Rondo (CLE) | 118-114 L vs. PHI | DNP – Ankle | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 116-106 W vs. ATL | DNP – CD | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 116-106 L @ CHA | DNP – CD | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
7:00 p.m. (NBATV) Pistons (Diallo) @ Magic
NBA seems to be avoiding March Madness. Smart.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard