The Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January.
Twe two players,heavy favorites for Rookie of the Year honors, earned the award for the third consecutive month.
Porzingis ranked fourth among all first-year players in scoring (15.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.2 rpg) in January. He also tied Towns for the rookie lead in blocked shots (1.63 bpg) and paced the East’s first-year players in three-point field goal percentage (37.5). Porzingis posted four point-rebound double-doubles, including a 28-point, 11-rebound performance in a 100-99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 8. He scored at least 12 points in 13 straight games from Jan. 3-26.
Towns, the former No. 1 pick out of Kentucky and St. Joe’s-Metuchen (N.J.), was the only first-year player to average a double-double in January, with 16.9 points (third among all rookies) and 10.9 rebounds (tops among all rookies), and he shot 53.5 percent from the field and 87.2 percent from the free throw line. In the final seven games of the month, Towns recorded six double-doubles and averaged 22.7 points and 12.6 rebounds. On Jan. 20, Towns finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks in a 106-94 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the only NBA player to reach those totals in a game this season.
