NBA highlights on Feb. 8: Towns takes first win in 18 games

Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

Los Angeles Clippers 115-142 Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns finally got a win after 13 straight losses of the team and a more embarrassing 17 consecutive losses for Towns. More importantly, they beat the Los Angeles Clippers, No. 2 in the Western Conference, by 27 points at the Target Center.

Both teams finished more than one deal before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. The Clippers' new weapon Marcus Morris did not play on Saturday and neither did D'Angelo Russell or Evan Turner for the Timberwolves. However, Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez and James Johnson made their debuts for Minnesota.

Malik Beasley #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Target Center, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

The Timberwolves managed to achieve this big win thanks to their epic offensive performance on Saturday. They drained a total of 26 triples, delivered 39 assists to score 142 points. Three of their players reached 20+points and seven had 14+points. Newly joined Beasley in the first half alone dropped 20 points and six 3-pointers.

In his first victory since last November 27, Towns put down 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Beasley got 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. "Amazing, man. First career double-double. It don't get no better than that. And a 'W' after 13 losses, that's the most important thing right there," said Beasley.

"I think my dinner's going to taste a little better tonight. I might get a little more sleep. I'm just happy for that locker room. More than anything, I'm happy for this organization for having a game like tonight," said Ryan Saunders, head coach of the Timberwolves.

Los Angeles Lakers 125-120 Golden State Warriors

Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks in the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

The Lakers got their first win after the trade deadline. The purple and gold established a 21-point lead in the third quarter of the game, but the Warriors began to catch up quickly in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Lakers, Anthony Davis stood out to score nine points in the last five minutes, helping his team pocket the win in the end.

LeBron James played 33 minutes on the court to put down 22 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists while burying three shots from the perimeter. His career 3-pointers reached 1,832 after Saturday's game and surpassed Chauncy Billups to rank 15th on the list of NBA career 3-point scoring leaders.

Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors defends LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the game at the Chase Center, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

Despite another career milestone, James seemed quite uncomfortable dealing with Andrew Wiggins' defense, who just joined the Warriors via trade on Wednesday. James went 7-17 in field goals and committed seven turnovers. In fact, when Wiggins was willing to lower his body and focused on defense; his size, power and speed made him a good defender indeed.

Wiggins put up some highlights on offense, too. He went 8-12 in total and 3-4 from the 3-point line to drop 24 points and five steals. He only had a short training session together with the Warriors after the trade and thus there's hardly any chemistry between him and his new teammates. Wiggins' performance in his Warriors debut was mostly made relying on his physical talent. Though he's not Kevin Durant, Wiggins could still make a decent improvement for the Warriors wing position as long as he works hard.

Milwaukee Bucks 112-95 Orlando Magic

Giannis Antetkounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks in the game against the DallOrlando Magic at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

Though Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled with his shooting and only made six of 17 attempts at the Amway Center on Saturday, he still managed to put down almost triple-double by putting down 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. The Bucks saw all five of their starting-lineup score double-digit points. Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton had 23 and 21 respectively.

Saturday's game was the fourth straight win by the Bucks which currently rank the first of the league with a 45-7 record. They already scored at least 100 points in 76 consecutive games, the eighth-longest in NBA history. It was also the team's sixth road game in a row in which they led the home team by double digits, the second-longest in NBA history. Besides, the Bucks claimed their 45th win in 52 games, the fifth-fastest in history.

Can the team turn such dominance in the regular season to championship-winning in the playoffs?

Other games on Saturday (home teams in bold):

Dallas Mavericks 116-100 Charlotte Hornets

New York Knicks 95 -92 Detroit Pistons

New Orleans Pelicans 124-117 Indiana Pacers

Brooklyn Nets 118-119 Toronto Raptors

Denver nuggets 117-108 Phoenix Suns

San Antonio Spurs 102-122 Sacramento Kings