About Last Night: Rose strikes again

Similar to a professional wrestling tag team, Karl-Anthony Towns and Derrick Rose alternated in their onslaught against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

In the first half for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns took on the majority of the work by scoring 28 points from 14 shots.

However, as the promising young star’s performance cooled in the second, scoring only two points and missing 7 of 8 shots, Rose was fully prepared to compensate for the deficit.

Continuing his improbable comeback season, the revitalized former Kia MVP erupted for 29 of his 31 points over the final 24 minutes, capped by his clutch jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to give the Timberwolves a 116-114 victory.

Despite the nation’s focus being heavily on the NFL’s conference championship games, the shot didn’t receive as much recognition as his past heroic feats, like scoring 50 points against the Utah Jazz on October 31.

However, following a recent ankle sprain that cost him eight games, it was further proof that Rose isn’t quite ready to end his extraordinary journey just yet.

On Sunday, for the 19th time in 36 games this season, he scored 20 points or more. His consistent performance has been crucial for a team seeking stability during a particularly chaotic season.

Although his time as a superstar is long over, his instinct to take the lead is still very much alive. Instead of executing a pick-and-roll with Towns on the last play as planned by interim head coach Ryan Saunders, Rose spotted an opportunity with Suns rookie Mikal Bridges and decided to seize it.

“It was a rook sticking me, right?” he said, as reported by The Athletic. “A rookie. C’mon, I gotta go at him in that situation.”

In the past, Rose would have likely aimed to attack the rim. However, with injuries having diminished his athletic capabilities to nothing, he opted for the step-back jumper instead.

Swish.

Yet another memorable moment in an already unforgettable season.

“As I frequently mention, I have faith in myself and constantly work on this,” said Rose. “I didn’t want to impose anything.”

Human eraser

Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen has made quite the name for himself as a shot blocker of highlight-reel caliber. But Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner proved he knows how to protect the rim in impressive fashion as well. Witness his absolute suffocation of Marvin Williams’ ill-advised dunk attempt:

Unusual achievement

Quite the night for Pat Beverley:

No player 6'1" or shorter has matched @patbev21’s line tonight .

He earns tonight’s @Kia Performance of the Game.⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ANqGd6mDm6

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 21, 2019

Hot kicks

It seems that Montrezl Harrell, a forward for the LA Clippers, is quite the tennis enthusiast.

You can always count on @MONSTATREZZ to have some kicks, but this pair he wore for the first half tonight might be my favorite. A nod to @serenawilliams who is competing in the @AustralianOpen tomorrow. (Cc: @TennisChannel) pic.twitter.com/aiIh3IVXSO

— Jaime Maggio (@jaimemaggio) January 21, 2019

Respect

Patty Mills, the guard for Spurs, began MLK Day early with his sincere pregame speech.

Patty Mills addresses the home crowd as the @spurs honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/snAqwk02VV

— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2019