Anthony Edwards might be missing some time, but Wolves fans…don’t fear.
Julius Randle’s here to pick up the slack. 🔥
Today’s Lineup
🏀 A Minnesota SUNset
The Ant-less Wolves take care of business over the Suns.
🦅 HAWWWWWWWWWWKS!
The Hawks win their 10th straight game!
🕰️ Wayback Wednesday: Madness Edition!
Looking back at one of the greatest tournament runs ever!
🎉 Happy birthday Kris Dunn, Devin Carter, and Brian Scalabrine! 🎉
Game Recaps
Julius Randle’s big night leads Wolves past Suns 116-104 without Anthony Edwards
Tuesday was a bittersweet day for Wolves nation.
With news dropping mid-afternoon that superstar Anthony Edwards is going to miss at least the next 1-2 weeks due to knee inflammation, the Wolves’ quest to securing the number three seed out west just became even more challenging.
Luckily, Julius Randle was able to put some of that worry to rest later on in the night:
Randle put up a big scoring night (30 PTS, 10/17 FG) and was able to lead Minnesota past the Suns in a game that meant quite in the west playoff race. Phoenix has been knocking on the door of that top-six for the last few weeks, but the Wolves were able to keep them at bay on Tuesday.
Minnesota got huge help from their bench in this one, with Ayo Dosunmu (19 PTS) Bones Hyland (21 PTS, 8/14 FG) and Naz Reid (11 PTS) all stepping up in the absence of their All-NBA guard.
For the Suns, Devin Booker put up 30 points of his own, but it was his fellow Kentucky Alumni Randle who got the W in this one.
Can the Suns finish as a top 6 seed?
🏀 🏀 🏀
Hawks win 10th straight game behind Alexander-Walker’s 41 points, defeat Magic 124-112
For the past 10 games, the Atlanta Hawks have been soaring past their competition. 🦅
The Hawks picked up an NBA-best win number 10 in a row in a huge win against their division rival in the Magic. ATL has been amongst the hottest teams in the league post ASB, and tonight was one of their biggest wins of this run, as they continue their climb up the east standings.
The Two-Headed Monster of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson were simply unstoppable in the win. NAW finished with a career-high 41 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while scorching the nets for an insane 9/14 display from three. Johnson absolutely stuffed the stat sheet as well, ending with a 12 point, 15 rebound, 13 assist triple double on the way to victory.
Going back to the east standings, they’ve been so tight, that the Hawks jumped alllll the way from 9th….to 8th throughout this 10 game win streak. However, they’re just 1.5 games back of the Magic for the fifth spot, who were led by Desmond Bane (18 PTS) in the loss.
Buckle up, the Eastern Conference playoff hunt is just beginning!
🏀 🏀 🏀
Elsewhere around the NBA:
The defending champs just have a switch most teams in the league don’t have. OKC flipped that switch late in the fourth in their 113-108 road win over the Magic on Tuesday. Trailing 90-89 with eight minutes to go, the Thunder went on a 24-12 run to pull away and pick up win number 54 on the season. Shai Gilgeous Alexander put up a 40 piece and made it look easy (as he always does). Paolo Banchero did his best to match it with 32 points of his own, but the reigning champs walked out victorious.
Through three quarters, the Heat and Hornets were neck and neck. Through four, it was a much different story. Charlotte put up a dominant 40-18 fourth quarter in their 136-106 win over Miami. With the team’s positioning in the play-in race hanging in the balance, this was a huge victory for Buzz City. LaMelo Ball was cooking (30 PTS, 13 AST) and rookie sensation Kon Knueppel was his usual self (22 PTS, 8/14 FG). Charlotte is back over .500 and is playing some of their best ball at the exact right time…
Anytime LeBron James and Kevin Durant matchup against one another, you simply can’t take it for granted. Bron got the best of KD in Monday’s matchup, as the Lakers and Rockets were neck and neck until the Lakeshow pulled away late in the fourth to win 100-92. Thanks to a big Marcus Smart three, a couple of timely buckets from DeAndre Ayton, and an exclamation-point slam from Bron to close the game, the Lakers pick up another huge win (their sixth straight) that has major implications on the west playoff race…
We were treated to an old-fashioned shootout in Boston between Devin Booker and Jaylen Brown on Monday night! Book (41 PTS, 15/24 FG) and JB (41 PTS, 10/20 FG) each put up a 40-ball in one of the best duels all season. In the end, it was Brown and the Celtics who walked away with the big 120-112 win over the Suns. How lucky are C’s fans that they have a guy who can drop 40+ while their superstar in Jayson Tatum (21 PTS) and play his way back up to speed? All we’ll say is, once JT looks more comfortable and in rhythm….look out NBA!
🧠 Daily Trivia 🧠
Which Player Advanced the Furthest in the NCAA Tournament during their college career?
Wayback Wednesday
Welcome to Wayback Wednesday: March Madness edition!
With the tournament going into full swing this week, let’s take a look back at one of the greatest March runs of all time: Kemba Walker and the 2011 UConn Huskies! 🔥
One of the most improbable runs to a national championship in college basketball history started on a Tuesday in early March. UConn, losers of four of their last five regular season games, had to play on day one the Big East tournament due to their big slip in the conference standings. The Huskies were an afterthought to the college basketball world, and on no one’s radar as a contender for a national title.
Junior star guard Kemba Walker put UConn back on the map less than a week later. UConn ripped off an improbable five wins in five days to win the Big East tournament, with
iconic step-back game winner over top-seeded Pitt in the quarterfinals highlighting the incredible run.
Walker and the Huskies were able to carry their momentum from the Big East tournament into the Big Dance. The three-headed future NBA guard trio of Kemba, Jeremy Lamb, and freshman Shabazz Napier were giving opposing guards headaches, while forwards Alex Oriahki and Roscoe Smith crashed the glass down low.
UConn’s run to the final four was NOT an easy one. They had to go through future Hall of Famer Kawhi Leonard’s San Diego State squad in the sweet sixteen, and squeaked by Top NBA prospect Derrick Williams’ Arizona Wildcats in the elite eight. The Huskies had won nine straight games in a matter of two weeks to reach the Final Four!
Their magical run didn’t stop there. They went to war against John Calapari’s Kentucky team that featured seven future NBA players on its roster, pulling out a one point win to advance to the National Championship game. UConn closed off their miraculous title run two days later, defeating cinderella Butler, who were unable to avenge their loss in the championship game from a year prior.
Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies had done it. They pulled off one of the greatest March runs in basketball history, winning their last 11 games of the season after being completely written off. It’s a run so great, we’ll most likely never see anything like it again.
Take a look for yourself of the insane highlights from Kemba’s 2011 run: 🔥
Three in the Key
🙌 Fultz Game Winner!
We love to see Markelle Fultz still hooping!
😳 Crafty Castle
Excuse us, Stephon Castle??!!
👀 Make Room!
Talks about potential NBA expansion are heating up…
What We’re Enjoying
Who’s on Kenny’s All-NBA teams? 🤔
In the latest Small Ball pod episode, Kenny answers his listener’s questions, from his All-NBA picks, NBA would-you-rathers, college talk, and more!
Give it a listen ⬇️
Signing Off
That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. The Madness starts tomorrow, get ready for a weekend of just HOOPS.
See you on Friday!
