Hornets Spoil Karl-Anthony Towns' 62-Point Outburst
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Win of the year? It might just be. On Monday night, the Charlotte Hornets stunned the Minnesota Timberwolves, defeating them in front of their own crowd at Target Center, 128-125.
Karl-Anthony Towns made his first triple and never looked back. He drained shot after shot and his teammates had no issue feeding him the ball and getting out of his way. He made his first eight shots from three-point range but also muscled his way to the cup time and time again, en route to a 62-point performance.
Miles Bridges had himself a strong start to the game pouring in 15 points in the opening frame while rookie Brandon Miller made his first six shots from the field. As great as Towns was, the Hornets continued to hang around until Minnesota created a 15-point stiff arm at the end of the third.
Charlotte opened the fourth red hot, going on a 19-6 run which extended to a 28-12 run. Once Towns wore down, the T-Wolves offense went to sleep. In the final minute of the game, undrafted free agent Leaky Black grabbed a defensive rebound and followed that up by draining a pair of free throws - the first of his career to make it a three-point game with 1.1 seconds remaining. Towns' three to tie it at the buzzer fell way short, giving the Hornets the win.
Best of the Night: Brandon Miller
Huge night for the rook, shooting an efficient 11/13 from the field including 3/4 from three. He also pulled down three boards and dished out a pair of assists - a coming out party of sorts.
Worst of the Night: P.J. Washington defense
I mean, I can't really knock the guy. He's playing out of position due to the injuries of Mark Williams and Nick Richards, but boy did he get worked on the defensive end. He wasn't the only one, but Towns had his way with him beating Washington off the dribble on several occasions.
Stat of the Night: 62 points
Karl-Anthony Towns set the Minnesota franchise record for points in a game with 62, breaking the previous record of 60 which he also held.
Highlight of the Night:
Next up: Hornets at Pistons, Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST.
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