Trail Blazers at Timberwolves
Top overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns looks for his third consecutive
double-double when the undefeated Minnesota Timberwolves host the
Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. Towns has excelled in his first two
NBA games and is averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 58.6
percent from the field.
Perhaps John Calipari will someday be known as the coach who held down Towns as he has been much more assertive offensively with the Timberwolves than he was in his one season at Kentucky. "A lot of my points came off one dribble and going to basket," Towns said after Friday's victory over the Denver Nuggets. "With them being 6-foot-9 and lighter and me being 7-foot, that's not supposed to happen. I was just seeing openings." Portland dropped back-to-back games to Phoenix and is trying to develop cohesiveness after losing four starters from last season's squad. “I hate to keep saying it, but it’s all a process," point guard Damian Lillard told reporters. "We haven’t been playing together that long, especially in real game situations. It’s just going to take time and experience in those situations for us to be able to execute and do the things necessary to win the game down the stretch.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (1-2): Portland is hoping center Meyers Leonard will step up and permanently lasso one of the starting gigs, but the early returns aren't promising. The fourth-year pro is 8-for-25 shooting over the first three games while averaging seven points, and said he has been experiencing numbness in his left hand since getting his elbow banged into during the season opener. "I know I can shoot the ball," Leonard told reporters. "That's just the way it is and I'm confident in that. It's strange to me that, especially over a three-game period, that I haven't made many shots. That's an adjustment."
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (2-0): Minnesota won consecutive road games to open the campaign in the aftermath of the death of coach and team president Flip Saunders due to complications from Hodgkin's lymphoma. "Something that can take your mind off reality for a little bit," veteran power forward Kevin Garnett told reporters. "Tough week for us, but we're managing." Saunders will be honored prior to this contest so the Timberwolves figure to get another emotional boost.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers have prevailed in 11 of their last 15 visits to Minnesota.
2. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins is just 7-of-23 shooting and averaging 13.5 points over the Timberwolves' first two games.
3. After scoring a career-best 37 points in Portland's opener, SG C.J. McCollum averaged 15.5 points on 13-of-37 shooting over the ensuing two games.