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The Best of the Day: March 18th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from March 18, 2021 including Edwards and KAT's 40-PT games, Westbrook's monster triple-double, and more!
ESPN
The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 3/18 here.
The 2021 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns went off Thursday night, as the Minnesota Timberwolves upset one the NBA’s hottest teams in the Phoenix Suns. Edwards’ latest performance has him looking like a potential superstar in the making. Also, Damian Lillard needs to be in the MVP conversation after continuously coming through for the Blazers, and Russell Westbrook’s latest triple-double helped lift Washington past Utah in another upset.
Here is the best of the day from March 18, 2021:
Anthony Edwards became the 3rd youngest ever to score 40+ points
Rookie Anthony Edwards dropped a career-high 42 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 41 as the Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the West’s No. 3 seed Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Minnesota used the dominant Edwards-KAT duo to mount a comeback, turning an 11-point fourth quarter deficit into a 123-119 road win.
Anthony Edwards dropped a career-high 42 PTS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4Cm4oIHoUz
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 19, 2021
Edwards and Towns became just the second pair of teammates to each register 40 points in the same game in Wolves history. This game was especially significant for Edwards, who became the third youngest player (19 years, 225 days) ever to score 40 points in a game while also breaking the franchise record for points scored by a rookie.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards became the 2nd duo to each score 40+ PTS during the same GP in Minnesota Timberwolves franchise history https://t.co/62HGOtQ7GT
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 19, 2021
Youngest players with 40+ PTS in a GP:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 19, 2021
1. LeBron James (19y; 88d)
2. Kevin Durant (19y; 200d)
3. Anthony Edwards (19y; 225d)
4. Carmelo Anthony (19y; 306d) pic.twitter.com/KA5BSGF3dh
Anthony Edwards scored the most PTS (42) during 1 GP by a Timberwolves rookie in franchise history, passing Zach LaVine (37) https://t.co/ykkBZX82xl
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 19, 2021
Winners of three out of five since the All-Star break, Minnesota’s future looks very bright over the next three to five years, even with this season already lost with the current worst record in the Association (10-31). Edwards and Towns, along with D’Angelo Russell could form a Big 3 in the Twin Cities that has all the makings of a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Not to mention, the Timberwolves have an inside track to add even more talent with one of the top picks in the draft (top-4 protected) that could accelerate the franchise’s long-awaited return to contention.
Related: Stories of the Day
IT’S ABOUT DAME TIME TO PUT LILLARD IN THE MVP CONVERSATION
Damian Lillard had a game-high 36 points in Thursday night’s 101-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Lillard is having a sensational season, averaging 30.5 PPG, which is the second-highest in the entire league this season. Additionally, Dame is top-10 in assists per game this season as well.
Lillard has his team 6th in the Western Conference, just 5.5 games back of the leader. This impressive record had been achieved mostly without star teammate CJ McCollum. This level of production, Dame Time’s constant heroics, and Portland’s position in the West has to put Lillard in the MVP conversation.
The Vegas odds currently have him behind PG counterparts Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry. Lillard’s stock deserves to be higher than any guard in the league considering he’s putting the ball in the basket more than any of them (besides Bradley Beal on a non-playoff Wizards team), leads the NBA in basically every clutch category, and has carried the Blazers to a playoff spot despite his two most valuable teammates missing a large portion of the season. Even Doncic himself said Lillard deserved to be a starter over him in this year’s All-Star game.
Like Jimmy Butler recently, Damian Lillard has put the league on notice following his consistent performances, and it is time he gets the recognition he deserves. Lillard’s MVP case has a strong argument, but it is not talked about nearly enough due to Portland being a small-market team. It would be no surprise if Lillard finishes as a top-3 or top-5 candidate for the MVP by the end of the season. What more can Dame do to be part of the conversation?
COLORS KEY | FULL BLAZERS OUTLOOK
how do you guard this pic.twitter.com/NKg6irNPOK
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 19, 2021
Damian Lillard leads the Blazers to their second straight win over the Pelicans 🙌
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2021
36 points
6 rebounds
12-22 FGM
6-15 3PM
6-6 FTM pic.twitter.com/swMDqDO51k
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Knight’s not playing with OKC
NATHAN KNIGHT MEANS BUSINESS. 😤 pic.twitter.com/UFmvC1VpJx
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
PG Russell Westbrook, WAS (W v.UTA): 35 PTS (12-23 FG | 2-5 3P), 13 AST, 15 REB, 1 BLK, 2 STL, 5 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (3/18/21) - PG Russell Westbrook, WAS
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 19, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- 1st player w/ 35+ PTS/15+ REB/10+ AST in Wiz history
- Led DC's upset over Utah to end 5-game losing streak
- 28ppg/12apg/9rpg/49% FG/42% 3P/5.4 3PA in March
KEY STATS:
35 PTS, 15 REB, 13 AST, 12-23 FG (52%) https://t.co/bgZikj38RV
Related: Players of the Day
Minnesota Timberwolves (123) vs. Phoenix Suns (119)
[Highlights] TIMBERWOLVES (+451; $6.81) d. @SUNS (-600; $13.87) 123-119 [MIN +10.5 | o232]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
After playing a key part on defense in the Patriots second dynasty, 3x Super Bowl champ Patrick Chung announced his retirement
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