T-wolves celebrate Karl-Anthony Towns, team scoring record

That is Karl-Anthony Cities’ seventh season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, his standing nicely established because the franchise participant for this long-languishing group.

For the primary time in his NBA profession, Cities has mentioned typically, he is feeling totally appreciated.

His newest feat was fairly the showstopper: a franchise-record 60 factors in a 149-139 win at San Antonio on Monday night time. Cities did it in simply 36 minutes, too.

“He’s simply that proficient. He’s simply that sort of participant,” teammate D’Angelo Russell mentioned. “You search for and see 60 and the entire workforce completely happy. That’s all people being selfless about it. I believe that was extra of what I appreciated. The efficiency was wonderful, however all people wished to see it, too.”

As Cities performed a postgame tv interview on the courtroom, a number of teammates snuck up behind him and mischievously doused his head with water to mark the event of essentially the most factors scored by a NBA participant this season.

The Timberwolves, from the bench to the locker room, have cheered one another on with childlike enthusiasm and a selflessness like no different in workforce historical past.

“I admire it a lot, as a result of I ain’t by no means been celebrated,” mentioned Cities, whose earlier profession greatest was a 56-point sport in opposition to Atlanta on March 28, 2018. “They make these moments particular.”

Affable and emotional, Cities has been identified to talk in hyperbole like this. The distinction in chemistry with this workforce in comparison with the others he is performed on in Minnesota is evident. Cities additionally has emerged from a grueling couple of seasons coping with accidents and, after all, COVID-19. His mom died of issues from the virus in 2020.

As Cities poignantly famous on Twitter on Tuesday morning, his 60-point sport was two years to the day that his mom, Jackie Cruz-Cities, was hospitalized in New Jersey with COVID-19.

“I’ve simply bought a stronger guardian angel than I’ve ever had,” Cities mentioned. “I really feel that I used to be arrange for fulfillment by God. I actually can’t clarify it. I simply really feel like I used to be arrange for fulfillment this yr after every thing I’ve been by means of, simply having these group of fellows round. I’ve by no means had that type of camaraderie and unity and chemistry since faculty. To type of have everybody, one by means of 15, purchase into every thing we’re doing, it makes years like this doable.”

Cities, who grew to become the uncommon publish participant to win the NBA’s 3-point contest at All-Star weekend final month, has helped the Timberwolves (40-30) strengthen their grip on seventh place within the Western Convention. It will hold them at house for the play-in event if they do not catch sixth-place Denver (41-28).

The Timberwolves have gained two of three video games in opposition to the Nuggets this season, with a April 1 go to to Denver looming giant. At 10 video games above .500, it is their greatest in 4 years, ending the 2017-18 season at 47-35. That’s the one time they’ve been to the playoffs since 2004, when Cities was 8 years previous.

“Folks clearly see how extremely proficient KAT is and what he’s capable of do, and so they additionally see that there can be nights the place he takes perhaps eight or 10 pictures and does no matter else the sport wants, whether or not it’s rebounding, defensive presence in there,” coach Chris Finch mentioned. “He’s actually responding nicely to his teammates. He’s a man like all of us: We’d like the arrogance of our teammates to be our greatest model of ourselves.”