BBNBA: KAT Drills First Career Game Winning Shot

On3 imageby:Zack Geoghegan•01/31/19•

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[caption id="attachment_255337" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)[/caption] Good morning, folks. Karl-Anthony Towns hit his first career game-winning shot on a gorgeous fadeaway jumper. Let's talk NBA.

RECAP

  • It took an overtime period to decide this game, but the end result was worth it. Towns drilled a jump shot while fading out towards the baseline just as time expired to beat the Memphis Grizzlies at home. Despite not playing much in the first half due to foul trouble - which I've begun to notice as a common trend for Towns over the last couple of weeks - Towns had to score all 16 of his points in the second half. He also pulled down 10 rebounds in his 24 minutes and has his Wolves squad only one game under .500.

 [35-15] Nuggets - 105 @ [23-29] Pelicans - 99

  • Two months ago, this would have been the BBNBA marquee matchup. Hell, even two weeks ago this game would have been a much watch. On Wednesday night, however, it was a battle of the reserves. Anthony Davis and Julius Randle both sat out - along with two other New Orleans starters and their first man off the bench - for the Pelicans as they took on the Nuggets who were without Jamal Murray for the third straight game as he tends to a sore ankle. Randle, like Murray, is dealing with a sprained ankle and should return soon. Davis, on the other hand, is a different story. We discussed it yesterday, but there's a good chance Davis (and possibly Randle, if the Pelicans decide to act quickly before the upcoming trade deadline) has played his last game as a Pelican.
  • Without three premier BBNBA players, Darius Miller (NOP) and Trey Lyles (DEN) had to pick up the slack. Miller played well - again - posting 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 37 minutes. Lyles saw the court for only 10 minutes and contributed four points.
  • Before tip-off, the Pelicans always display a hype video showing the team and plenty of highlights. Davis was" coincidentally" left out of the latest version of the video, despite sitting on the sidelines in street clothes with the team.
  • Can't really be mad at them though. It's clear that both parties are doing their best to move on as quickly as possible.

Other notes

  • Enes Kanter finally received some game action on Wednesday as his New York Knicks team were throttled by the Dallas Mavericks. Kanter checked in for the first time since Jan. 21 and scored five points in nine minutes. But the moment that made it all worth it was when Kanter actually came into the game and was greeted with a wave of cheers from the Madison Square Garden crowd.
  • Kanter air-balled his first shot.
  • ''He just yelled out my name and I was like `Yo, really?''' Kanter said, referring to coach David Fizdale. ''I even looked around like, is he serious? And then I got up and the fans starting clapping and I thought this is really happening.''
  • It was a pretty cool moment for Kanter, who has been dealing with plenty of off-court drama. The dude just wants to play basketball.
  • The Knicks may have lost by 24, but with Kanter being cheered and Kevin Knox leading the BBNBA in scoring with 17 points, it's hard to say it wasn't a fun night in New York.
  • Knox, to the surprise of many, missed the cut to make the Rising Stars Challenge. He thought he was an automatic pick and I would agree. Well, I did agree until I saw the roster again. Other than Marvin Bagley III, I can't confidently say that Knox deserves it more than any of those other guys. Knox has had a better overall season than Bagley, although Bagley has come on as of late so he may have received some points for recency bias. But other than him, it is an absolutely loaded roster on both sides. And if Knox wants to use it as fuel and tosses a chip on his shoulder, then I'm all for it.
  • Check out the rest of the stats below.

STATISTICS

[table id=274 /]

TONIGHT IN THE NBA

7:00: Mavericks @ Pistons 7:00: Pacers @ Magic (Briscoe-questionable) 8:00 (TNT): Bucks (Bledsoe) @ Raptors 8:30: Nets @ Spurs 10:30 (TNT): 76ers @ Warriors (Cousins) 10:30: Lakers (Rondo) @ Clippers (Gilgeous-Alexander)
Follow me on Twitter: @ZackGeoghegan

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2024-04-17