When Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and had 15 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks fend off the Utah Jazz for a 117-111 road victory on Monday (March 14), it could have easily been the National Basketball Association (NBA) highlight of the night (and could have been the main story for the week, had it occurred in another week), but it wasn’t.

The Bucks earned their first road win in Utah since 2001 — a total of 19 games — but, on the same night, Tre Young registered 46 points (plus 12 assists) in a 122-113 win for the Atlanta Hawks over the Portland Trail Blazers, Draymond Green returned (after a two-month hiatus) to the Golden State Warriors line-up for a reunion with the ‘Splash Brothers’ and Karl-Anthony Towns scored an NBA season-best, 60 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 149-139 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

In case anyone needs reminding, the Warriors are a much better team when Draymond Green is on the court and that fact was highlighted in the 126-112 win against the Washington Wizards on Monday. That result improved the Warriors’ record this season to 28-6 with Green, compared to 19-16 without him.

Klay Thompson returned to the Warriors on January 9 of this year after a 30-month absence due to two different season-ending leg injuries and Green suffered his injury in the game just before Thompson’s return. Therefore, the championship trio of Green, Thompson and Steph Curry were playing together for the first time in 1,005 days and the Wizards bore the brunt of the reunion.

The season before the Warriors selected Green in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Golden State won only 23 games. The Warriors made the play-offs in Green’s rookie year (after missing five years) and have never missed the playoffs since. Curry, in his 13th NBA season, was playing on his 34th birthday and celebrated with 47 points, while being serenaded by the 18,000-plus home fans with chants of “MVP” and “Happy Birthday.”

Curry’s 47 points were his second most this season, behind the 50 he drained against the Atlanta Hawks in November 2021. It is his highest total for 2022 and set a new career-high for points on his birthday (surpassing the 32 points he scored on his 33rd birthday last year) and was the fourth most points ever by a player on their birthday.

Golden State will play San Antonio this Sunday (March 20) and all indications point to the Warriors improving their current record.

Karl-Anthony Towns produced one of the most impressive performances by an NBA centre in more than 20 years, and his team-record 60 points — the most points scored in the NBA this season — included 32 points in the third quarter alone. He shot 19-for-31 overall, grabbed 17 rebounds and finished 7-for-11 on three-pointers in surpassing his previous career best of 56 points against the Atlanta Hawks on March 28, 2018 — which was the then franchise mark.

Towns is the first player in NBA history to reach the benchmarks of 60 points, 15 rebounds and 60 per cent three-point shooting in a game. He is also the first No 1 overall pick to score 60 points since LeBron James’ only career 60-point performance in 2014 and has joined a legendary list as the fifth centre with a 60-point game — Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan being the others.

His Timberwolves have a tough assignment tomorrow afternoon (March 19) against the defending champion Bucks then take on the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, the Phoenix Suns next Wednesday and Dallas again next week Friday — talk about a run through the gauntlet.

On Tuesday (March 15), with the exploits of Towns in clear and vivid memory, Kyrie Irving equalled the NBA-best scoring mark this season with 60 points of his own in the 150-108 Brooklyn Nets’ shellacking of the Orlando Magic. Following on his 50 points against the Charlotte Hornets one week prior (March 8), Irving set both a career-high and a franchise record in the 42-point debacle.

Irving, who can only play road games (right now) due to his unvaccinated (COVID) status, drenched a franchise record 41 points in an impressive first half – 14-for-19 from the field, a fire-hot 6-for-7 from three-point range and 7-for-7 from the foul line. Adding three rebounds and three assists for good measure. The 41 points were the most one player has ever scored in any half against the Magic, and his 60 total for the game was the most any player has scored in the history of Amway Center. Brooklyn’s 86 total first-half points are also a franchise record and the most the Magic have ever given up in any half.

Brooklyn’s previous franchise record of 57 points, set by Deron Williams back in 2012, was almost engulfed in Irving’s 23 first-half minutes and, by the end of the half, the Orlando crowd was cheering Irving every time he hit a shot, a trend that continued throughout the game.

It has been a busy three weeks of 50-plus point scorers to include Ja Morant, LeBron James (twice), Jason Tatum, Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kyrie Irving (twice). The season is far from finished and, with the 3-point arc being the point of emphasis in recent seasons, many more of the same are expected— That’s Game.

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2021/22 NBA ChampionPhoenix Suns 4.75

Team Odds

Golden State Warriors 5.50

Brooklyn Nets 6.50

Milwaukee Bucks 7.50

Philadelphia 76ers 8.00

Miami Heat 10.00

Boston Celtics 17.00

Utah Jazz 17.00

Denver Nuggets 26.00

Memphis Grizzlies 26.00

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