NBA Power Rankings Week 19: LA Clippers get aggressive on buyout market
By Phil Watson
86. . 16-38. Previous: . Minnesota Timberwolves. 23. team
Last week: Lost to Boston 127-117
This week: Sunday at Denver, Monday at Dallas, Wednesday at Miami, Friday at Orlando
The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to have no answers at home, falling to 7-21 Friday night by losing to the Celtics, and they are only marginally better away from Minnesota with a 9-17 mark on the road.
The lost season of Karl-Anthony Towns continued to circle down the drain, with the team announcing Friday the wrist injury the former All-Star sustained before the break will keep him out at least two weeks after a fracture was diagnosed. After not missing a game in his first three NBA seasons and just five last year, Towns has already missed 19 (and counting) in 2019-20.
Recently acquired Malik Beasley is reveling in a starting role with the Wolves, scoring 27 points with four rebounds in 36 minutes against the Celtics, hitting 10-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-8 from 3-point range. He’s topped 20 points in three of his first four games with Minnesota, averaging 23.3 points a night over that span.
Previous: . Sacramento Kings. 22. team. 84. . 23-33
Last week: Beat Memphis 129-125, won at Clippers 112-103
This week: Tuesday at Golden State, Thursday at Oklahoma City, Friday at Memphis
Don’t look now, but the Sacramento Kings have won two in a row since returning from the All-Star break, are 8-4 over their last 12 games and have climbed to within five games of the eighth-place Grizzlies — who they beat Thursday night– in the race for eighth place in the Western Conference.
The Kings beat the Clippers in LA on Saturday, marking the first time they’ve swept the two games from the Clips at Staples Center since the 2005-06 season (coincidentally the last time Sacramento made the playoffs). The Kings had hammered the Clippers 124-103 back on Jan. 30.
Harrison Barnes came up big in the win over Memphis on Thursday with 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting, canning 7-of-11 from 3-point range. For the week, he had 45 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in 77 minutes, shooting 15-of-27 overall and hitting 10-of-18 from deep.