MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves offensive duo is heading to the NBA All-Star game.
Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards were selected for the All-Star game as reserves on Thursday.
The selections come as a nod of approval to two of the star players on the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves. Edwards is averaging a career-best 25.5 points per game on 46.4% from the field with 5.2 assists this year.
Towns is averaging 22.7 points per game on an efficient 52.2% shooting while also averaging a career-high 44.3% from three-point range.
The pair will be going to the Feb. 18 game in Indianapolis. The rest of the All-Star game reserves were also announced on Thursday night.
Stephen Curry is an All-Star for the 10th time, while the Lakers' Anthony Davis and Devin Booker of Phoenix rounded out the West reserves.
Jalen Brunson was selected for the first time and was joined by teammate Julius Randle from the Knicks, who went 14-2 in January. The East had two other first-time selections in Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey and Orlando's Paolo Banchero, with Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell and Boston's Jaylen Brown joining them.
The West is the far more experienced squad. Curry tied Hall of Famer Paul Arizin’s Warriors franchise record for most selections, while Davis and George — who will be returning to his original NBA home in Indiana — are All-Stars for the ninth time. Leonard is a six-time selection.
The starters were announced last week. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will be joined in the East by Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton.
The West starters are the Lakers’ LeBron James, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant of Phoenix in the frontcourt, along with guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City and Luka Doncic of Dallas.
The reserves were selected through voting by head coaches in each conference. They had to choose three frontcourt players, two guards and two other players, regardless of position.
That's not enough to bring a number of worthy players putting up big numbers in an era where teams are piling them up nightly. Among those not selected for the game were Atlanta's Trae Young, averaging 27 points and 10.9 assists, or the Sacramento duo of Domantas Sabonis, the NBA's leading rebounder, or De'Aaron Fox.
The NBA-leading Celtics and Timberwolves both hoped to have three All-Stars, but neither Boston's Derrick White nor Minnesota center Rudy Gobert were chosen.
The Wolves had to settle for having two All-Stars for the fifth time in franchise history, the first since Towns and Jimmy Butler in 2018.
If any players are injured and can’t play, their replacement is chosen by Commissioner Adam Silver. Randle is likely out because of a dislocated right shoulder that is expected to sideline him through the All-Star break.
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