The likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Stephen Curry and Trae Young all had it going, Monday night, in the league, as the regular season hits the home stretch. Young finished with 46 points in a 122-113 win against Portland. Curry went off for 47 points, on his 34th birthday, in a 126-112 win against Washington. Last but not least, Towns played headliner, pouring in a career-high 60 points in a 149-139 win against San Antonio. It was the first time in NBA history that there were three 45-point scorers in three different games.
Karl-Anthony Towns (60), Stephen Curry (47) and Trae Young (46) all scored at least 45 on Monday. This is the first day in NBA history there has been a 45-point scorer in 3 different games (h/t @EliasSports). — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 15, 2022
BIG-MAN TOWNS HAD HIMSELF A NIGHT Karl-Anthony Towns exceeded his career-high of 56 points, infact, 56 was his tally by the end of the third quarter, as he grabbed 60 points, 17 rebounds to become the first NBA player with these numbers in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did it with 61 points and 23 rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6, 2000. The 26-year-old All-Star also shot 19-of-31 and the Timberwolves won their second straight game. “I told Coach before the game, ‘Hey listen, we need this win. I’ll do whatever it takes,’” Towns said after the game. “‘If I need to play 44, 48 minutes, I’ll get it done.’ That was kind of the mindset I came in (with). I had to dominate. I had to be my best.” He becomes the sixth player in Timberwolves history to score 50 points in a game and the first to do so multiple times. He joins Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, James Harden and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with 60 points and 15 rebounds in a game.
𝙁𝙍𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙃𝙄𝙎𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙍𝘿 this man did this in 36 minutes too 🤯 pic.twitter.com/WnA0eg7mqU — Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 15, 2022
CURRY DID IT IN STYLE Stephen Curry is aging like fine wine and saved a dominant performance for his 34th birthday in the Golden State Warriors‘ 126-112 win against the Washington Wizards. Curry totaled 47 points on 16-of-25 shooting while scoring seven three-pointers and this performance places him at the fourth place for most points scored by a player on their birthday. Shaquille O’Neal | 61 on 28th birthday in 2000 Dominique Wilkins | 53 on 27th birthday in 1987 LeBron James | 48 on 25th birthday in 2009 Stephen Curry | 47 on 34th birthday in 2022 The night also marked the first time since the 2019 NBA Finals that Steph, Klay and Draymond have played together.
🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY @StephenCurry30 🎉 💦 47 PTS 💦 6 REB 💦 6 AST 💦 7 3PM 💦 @warriors WIN#DubNation pic.twitter.com/qFypqezEnm — NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2022
YOUNG MAKE 4O’S A DOUBLE AFFAIR Trae Young completes the scoring feast trifecta with his second back-to-back 40+ point game, as he led the Atlanta Hawks to a 122-113 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers with 46 points, 12 assists, two nights after dropping 47 points in a victory over the Indiana Pacers. He became the first player in the NBA this season to score 40 or more on back-to-back nights, per Elias Sports. The 23 year old’s second straight 40-point outing was the 24th of his career. “He’s a guy who is going to establish the tempo for us,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “He’s done a good job of that in these last few games, playing faster and looking to attack and really be aggressive.”
Another one! 🪣 Trae Young puts up another 40-point game in back-to-back nights. pic.twitter.com/qON8t9Yjkv — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 15, 2022