Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Minnesota Timberwolves making the NBA playoffs and Patrick Beverley’s antics.
With a thrilling 104-109 win in the play-in tournament over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Minnesota Timberwolves clinched the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and made the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Here are the best tweets from last night’s play-in game, which heavily feature the trash-talking Patrick Beverley:
Anthony Edwards was so close!
NBA players like to play it cool sometimes and tell you they don’t care about stats and they just want to win.
Listen. That is not true. I don’t care what they say. They do care about their stats. Do those stats come over the win? Of course not. But they absolutely care about stats. It’s why Kevin Durant doesn’t shoot halfcourt heaves and why LeBron James is averaging 30 in a losing season trying to chase Kareem.
Stats matter, man. They are benchmarks. That’s why when Anthony Edwards was absolutely gunning for 50 points in Thursday’s Timberwolves game against the Spurs, I couldn’t blame him! If I’m being real I’d probably do it, too.
The Basketball Gods were hating on our guy, though. He just missed it.
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It’s playoff season for y’all, but it’s already draft SZN for the rest of us.
Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday afternoon.
What’s good, hoop heads? It’s your boy Sykes and I will be your sherpa as you head into tonight’s NBA action.
Can y’all believe that they’re letting me do this? I can’t either. The takes are going to be absolutely scorching coming from this guy. Luckily for you, you’ll get a reprieve when someone else inevitably takes the reigns again. But until then? Let’s talk some hoop.
I’ll try not to drive this thing too far off the rails.
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
For a lot of us, it’s time to gear up and get ready for the playoffs. You’re hoping your team makes a deep postseason run to maybe win a championship if the Phoenix Suns are nice enough to let them. But for the rest of us? It’s draft time, baby. My Wizards stink and I need to know who we’re about to pick up in June.
That’s why it’s a perfect time to check out the homie Bryan Kalbrosky’s latest mock draft with all 58 picks included. Who is going No. 1? Chet Holmgren, of course.
“When it comes to the No. 1 overall pick, the more I watch him play, the more I’m moving closer to the “Chet-No-Matter-What” camp. Holmgren had 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 blocks during the first tournament game then matched up well against an NBA-sized opponent in Jalen Duren, defeating Memphis in the process. In terms of upside bets, the ceiling is just too high to pass on Chet.”
Smart man.
(All odds via Tipico.)
Mavericks (+130) vs. Timberwolves (-3.5, -160), O/U 228.5, 8 PM ET
Is it just me or are the Timberwolves must-watch TV at this point? Not only because Karl-Anthony Towns could drop 60 at any moment, but also because either he or Patrick Beverley might talk some elite-level smack to their opponents.
In their 3 previous matchups this season, these two teams haven’t combined for more than 218 points but over their last 5 games, the Timberwolves are averaging 127 points per game alone. I’m taking the over tonight.
— On a separate note, Andre Iguodala has been ruled out with a back injury for Friday night’s action with the Hawks despite rumors swirling about a return.
— On the Hawks’ end of the spectrum, Bogdan Bogdanovic has been ruled as questionable as of now.
— Both Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are game-time decisions for the Knicks against the Heat.
— Massive demand from today’s NBA players for Kobe Bryant’s signature sneaker line was a huge part of the reason why Nike brought it back.
— The Celtics look like they could be a legitimate NBA champion now, but they were awful the first half of the year. Celtics Wire has Jayson Tatum’s explanation for why.
— A Hoopshype poll of 52 former and current NBA players still has Michael Jordan as the most influential player to touch an NBA floor. Nothing but respect for my GOAT.
Let’s do this all again next week, family! Hopefully, they let me back in here. Til next time. Peace.
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Those gorilla videos must’ve really done something to KAT.
I have no idea what has gotten into Karl-Anthony Towns lately. This is not the same player Jimmy Butler once said was as soft as baby [expletive].
One week he’s pantomiming looking for a breeze in the arena when Russell Westbrook shoots an airball. The next week he’s absolutely destroying Jae Crowder with one of the best dunks you’ll see all season.
Oh, you haven’t seen that one yet? Let me help you out here.
Towns was coming down the lane after beating his man off the dribble. Like the solid defender he is, Crowder stepped over to try and take the charge. But then, upon realizing who was coming down the lane, he bailed out at the last moment and tried to back away.
He couldn’t. Dunk. And-one. Embarrassment. That’s what happened after that. But what made matters worse there was Towns literally clapping in Crowder’s face after the poster. Like, he’s just rubbing it in on dude.
He’s literally telling everyone that he’s in Crowder’s head. It was incredible.
KAT and Crowder getting chippy after the poster 🍿 pic.twitter.com/rrRpGeIx6F
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2022
Just incredibly savage, man. Maybe watching those gorilla videos did actually help KAT out because, uh, he wasn’t like this before.
Crowder got the last laugh in the end because the Suns got the win. But all anyone is going to remember from this game is the Towns dunk and the moments that followed it.
People were so surprised.
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Patrick Beverley is a ruthless man.
One day Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook might finally peace things up between the two of them. It feels like they’ve been beefing through their entire basketball careers.
But I’ll tell you one thing — that day ain’t coming no time soon.
In fact, after the Timberwolves thrashing of the Lakers on Wednesday night, it’s probably safe to say we’re a long way from that at this point.
Things sparked up between the two guards again when Beverley called Westbrook trash after stealing the ball from him….by deciding not to guard him on the perimeter. That’s already embarrassing in itself.
But then…but then! He called Russ trash. Like, literally. Those are fighting words, y’all.
Pat Bev appears to call Russ "trash" after a steal đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/Da0uVeHJOQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 17, 2022
You can see Beverley mouthing “he’s trash” to the crowd and then holding his nose because, of course, trash stinks. The Timberwolves pretty much clowned Westbrook for the rest of the game, too.
Here was Karl-Anthony Towns after Russ shot an airball.
Russell Westbrook airballs the corner 3, Karl-Anthony Towns searches for the wind in Target Center pic.twitter.com/NunuGH9S8p
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 17, 2022
Fam. They really let Westbrook have it.
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Former 2012 top high school recruit and NBA lottery pick Shabazz Muhammad is eying an NBA comeback.
The 29-year-old swingman has hired agent Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports International and recently signed with San Miguel Beermen in the Philippines.
Following a 57-point, 19-rebound performance in a win, Muhammad spoke to HoopsHype over the phone and discussed his NBA career with the Timberwolves and Bucks, his time overseas in China and the Philippines, what he’d do differently, and why he can help an NBA team.
Former No. 2 overall draft pick Michael Beasley is eying a return to the NBA.
Before this season, Beasley played in the NBA’s Vegas Summer League with the Portland Trail Blazers and averaged 11.4 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent from three-point range with 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game.
The 33-year old forward, who hired agent Charles Briscoe of Briscoe Sports Group, has been training in Miami with Ronnie Taylor. Beasley and his representation have been in contact with several teams recently, with the trade deadline nearing and the buyout market beginning shortly afterward.
Following a recent workout, Beasley spoke with HoopsHype about his goal to return to the NBA, his career over the years, dealing with personal losses of family members behind the scenes, and more.
In September of 2020, HoopsHype polled 15 NBA talent evaluators and asked them to rank their top five Under 25 players to build around. We have repeated the exercise with 17 NBA executives this time. There was no change at No. 1, but quite a few after that.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic remains the first choice, though he’s no longer the consensus pick after a somewhat disappointing first half of the season in which he’s still playing himself into shape.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum barely retains No. 2 with half the share of the vote of last season while Ja Morant moves up to No. 3.
LaMelo Ball and Trae Young went from no votes to cracking the top five.
In our scoring system, the top player received 10 points, the second received seven points, the third received five points, the fourth received three points, and the fifth player received one point for each ballot.
The results of the poll are listed below.
Karl-Anthony Towns has really had enough losing.
Karl-Anthony Towns has only made the playoffs one time in his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves. One time.
He is an excellent NBA player. A two-time All-Star. One of the best shooting big men we’ve ever seen pick up a basketball — period. And, yet, the Timberwolves have only made the playoffs with him one time.
That’s just awful. It’s extremely frustrating not only for the fans but for Towns himself.
The Wolves forward spoke to the media on Friday after a 123-106 loss to the Cavaliers. Towns was visibly frustrated after the loss and said as much.
WARNING: There is some NSFW language in this video.Â
A very frustrated Karl-Anthony Towns: “I’ve lost for a long time here and I’m not trying to fucking lose anymore. It’s pretty simple as that. Food don’t taste good, life don’t feel the same.” pic.twitter.com/mMFl36Y2Nt
— John Meyer (@meyerNBA) December 11, 2021
“I’ve just got to play better, honestly. I’ve lost for a long time here and I’m not trying to f******* lose anymore. It’s pretty simple as that. Food don’t taste good, life don’t feel the same…I’m just tired of coming up here and saying a bunch of stuff, at the end of the day, because it never translates to the next game.”
Sheesh, man. We’ve heard similar things from Towns before and they’ve sort of just gone by the wayside. But this feels a little different. This feels like Towns is at his wit’s end.
So, of course, after seeing this NBA fans jumped on the opportunity to lobby for their teams to trade for him.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the mix for the playoffs – a level they’ve reached once in the past 17 seasons – and D’Angelo Russell is an important reason why so far.Â
Russell’s shooting numbers are down overall compared to years past, but he’s stepped up for Minnesota when it matters most. Russell leads the league in clutch points, which are points scored in the last five minutes of the game where the score differential is five points or less.
“He wants the ball,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s not afraid to take big shots. He can handle and get to his spot. He’s got almost an unblockable shot with a lot of arc.”
Finch, who’s the first coach Russell has had for consecutive seasons since Kenny Atkinson in Brooklyn, calls his point guard an “absolute joy” to coach and refers to him as a “basketball junkie.” Finch laughed, reminiscing about how Russell texted him about the team while watching a game between the Pacers and Pistons on a random Tuesday off night.
In his return to Brooklyn, where Russell became an All-Star, he spoke with HoopsHype about the expectations for Minnesota, Patrick Beverley’s impact on the team, playing for Finch, his career thus far, and more.
