BBNBA: Wolves, Nets advance on Play-In Tuesday
The NBA’s postseason is officially underway. Tuesday’s Play-In double-header resulted in both home teams punching their ticket to the Playoffs, leaving two others with work to do this weekend. One former ‘Cat was the center of conversation last night, though not entirely for the right reasons. Let’s break it down.
Timberwolves rally late, reach Playoffs with Towns on bench
As we’ve been saying all season, this season has meant a lot to Timberwolves fans. Outside of a five-game tour with Jimmy Butler in 2018, Minnesota hasn’t even sniffed the Playoffs in 18 years. Since Karl-Anthony Towns was drafted in 2015 they’ve amassed over 300 losses, second-most in the league. This year’s group — led by Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell — has played with heart from day one, and now it’s on the verge of expelling those postseason demons.
The Wolves secured a spot in the Western Conference Playoffs with a 109-104 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday. They overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with a furious late rally, and they did most of it with Towns fouled out on the bench. It was a terrific game of basketball, but probably not one KAT’s going to want to remember.
The Clippers went small against Towns, challenging him with quickness inside and beating him off the dribble on defense. He picked up his fourth personal foul with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter, left with his fifth around the same time in the third quarter, and fouled out on a rebound attempt four minutes into the fourth. He was roundly criticized for his situational awareness in the second half, as he committed the last two fouls in pretty obvious fashion.
However, once Towns left, the game script flipped. Minnesota went on a 16-2 run shortly after, taking a lead they would not relinquish. Edwards led the way with 30 points, Russell had 29, and Patrick Beverley grabbed seven points and 11 rebounds while bringing blistering defensive energy all night against his former team. Jarred Vanderbilt played 27 critical minutes, pulling down 10 rebounds and providing his own unique defensive punch against Paul George.
The Wolves will move on as the No. 7 seed out West, due to face Memphis in a seven-game set starting next week. Towns will have plenty of opportunities to redeem himself in what should be a very compelling series.
The Clippers will host the winner of Wednesday night’s Spurs-Pelicans contest on Friday, with the victor of that game earning a matchup with the top-seeded Suns.
“Playoff Rondo” not enough as Nets top Cavs
It doesn’t matter what the front of his jersey reads, or what the stats on his Basketball-Reference page tell you. Come Playoff time, Rajon Rondo will be ready. Now on his ninth team in seven years, Rondo showed up yet again on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they needed a little more than that to beat Kevin Durant and the Nets.
The Nets lived up to their preseason billing in this one, scoring 40 points in the first quarter and cruising from there to a 115-108 victory. Kyrie Irving was perfect for three-plus quarters, making his first 12 shots and finishing with 34 points. Durant added 25, along with 11 assists and three blocks.
For Cleveland, budding star Darius Garland ran the show as usual with 34 points. But Rondo was an active presence off the bench, chipping in seven points and nine assists in his most minutes since early February. At this point, is anyone really surprised?
The Nets secured the seventh seed in the East with the win, earning a tasty matchup with the Celtics in the first round. But the Cavs are still set to host the eight-nine game on Friday with a seven-game series vs. Miami on the line. If they make it that far, Rondo’s playoff experience will be an invaluable asset for such a young team.
The only thing standing in their way is the winner of Wednesday night’s first Play-In tilt between Charlotte and Atlanta, tipping off at 7:00 E.T. on ESPN.
Here are the full stats from Tuesday’s games:
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 109-104 W vs. LAC | 11 | 3-11 (0-2) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 24 | -14 |
| Rajon Rondo (CLE) | 115-108 L @ BKN | 7 | 3-8 (1-5) | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26 | +2 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 109-104 W vs. LAC | 3 | 1-2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | -4 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 109-104 L @ MIN | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA:
7:00 (ESPN) – Hornets (Washington, Richards) @ Hawks (Knox)
9:30 (ESPN) – Spurs (Johnson) @ Pelicans
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