This isn’t the first time we see the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2015 NBA Draft duel it out. They did that on the first game of the season. The only difference now is they both have two months of experience and in opposite situations.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, you have a dysfunctional coach who benches rookies when the organization has nothing to play for besides not sending Kobe Bryant packing with Top 5 draft picks on consecutive years. D’Angelo Russell has been struggling to start the year, finding himself on the bench in the 4th quarter with no trust from Byron Scott and no answer as to why. Even worse, he lost his starting spot for the immediate future and is coming off the bench, as Coach Scott tweaks the lineup and tries to find a winning combination.
Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns is shining in Minnesota for the Timberwolves, getting major playing time and averaging nearly a double-double at this point in the season (15.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG).
The two were definitely in the zone tonight, hitting clutch shots down the stretch, trying to carry the team on their backs en route to a victory. But only one could win.
Towns finished the game as the winner of this battle, not only with the W, but with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Russell had a career-high night, scoring 23 points, but only dishing out 3 assists.
FINAL: MIN 123 | LAL 122
OS REWIND: Karl-Anthony Towns Talks Basketball and Rookie Expectations
OS REWIND: D’Angelo Russell Talks About His Experience On the Lakers