2018 All Star

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It’s early in the morning. My alarm went off at 4:15 a.m.

I know, I know. I’m going to Los Angeles for the All-Star Break. You feel super bad for me.

The Wolves won last night against the Lakers at Target Center, closing out things on a solid note before a week or so off.

We have three of us on this trip to handle all of your content needs. We land in Los Angeles around 11 a.m. your time, 9 a.m. LA time. We have two community events to cover today and possibly another top-secret event that you won’t know about if it doesn’t happen.

I’ll check back in when we land in Los Angeles, the Mile High City.

We have landed in Los Angeles and we are currently in a taxi. Technology allows me to type and connect to the internet while in a taxi. Wait until I tell my Grandma Darlene about this.

We are going to a community event with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler. I’m not sure what kind of player access we’ll have, but you can expect some content later this afternoon, after we check into our hotel and everything.

The internet on the flight didn’t work, so that stunk. But I was able to watch “Thor: Ragnarok” and I can tell you that it’s a phenomenal movie. Cate Blanchett is freaking unbelievable in it.

Community work is done. Well, not for us. We were just there covering it, but for Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns.

After that, we got our media credentials and got some grub. My room was the only room available for the three of us, so we are all just chilling here. It's super cool and I definitely don't want my own space after traveling all day.

We are heading to a Jimmy Butler event soon. Hoping to get all of our content up after that. 

Our Uber driver invited us to a party that she's going to tonight with a cheap cover. That's great and all, but what happens when it rains?

I'm up pretty early because I'm a party animal and this is how I live my life (I was in my hotel bed watching "Spiderman: Homecoming" at 9:15 last night).

Let's recap yesterday before previewing today.

We ate at Qdoba for lunch yesterday which I'm 98 percent gave me food poisoning. I feel better now and I don't want to gross you out, so let's move along.

Last night, Jimmy appeared at a Jordan event in LA, which had a lot going on, and nothing going on at the same time. There was a room full of sneakers, flashing lights and a DJ dropping beats. Did I buy a pair of Jordan 32s that I definitely didn't need? Yes, yes I did. I was laughed at because I didn't know the name of shoes I was buying. Whatever.

Butler arrived, looked around the place and then went upstairs for some interviews and to look at a recreation of Dr. Dre's first studio, which was actually super cool.

We'll have a video, photos and story on this later today.

Today, the big event is the All-Star practice availability. That will start around 2 p.m. your time and will air on NBATV. We'll have plenty of coverage on that up later tonight after a few side events with Towns. 

I plan on going to the gym at some point today and I might even dabble in a JFK book that I got for Christmas. Live your best life, everyone. I'll check in this afternoon. Will take lunch suggestions. 

So, apparently I don't know what day it is.

Snack update: Just had a handful of chips.

We had the media day for the All-Stars today and we got a ton of really, really good content. You can expect to see it trickled out throughout the next few days on our social channels and website. 

These media scrums are okay for getting content, but at the same time so weird. A lot of it is people asking All-Stars about other All-Stars. But such is life. One guy asked Kyrie Iriving if he was the best NBA actor, which I can't imagine Irving really cares about. But maybe. Maybe that's what makes his world go round. 

We ate at California Pizza Kitchen and it was good. I had fish tacos. Our crew talked about ghosts for a good 30 minutes and the kid sitting next to us will definitely have nightmares for the next month.

Finishing up stories for tonight and tomorrow. I'll check back in tomorrow morning. I miss my cat. I hope he's doing okay. 

Before we get into some Ratke on the Road content, we have some celebrating to do.

Congrats to former Lynx star Katie Smith on becoming a 2018 Hall of Fame Finalist.

And congrats to Cole Aldrich on having his jersey retired at Kansas.

What did I do last night? Caught up on a bunch of work and fell asleep by 10:30 p.m. I'm lame. I'm going to try to do something fun tonight after the festivities here. But I also really enjoy sleeping. So we'll see.

Today, I've got a few things to do before getting all fit at the gym. I'll probably go get some coffee after that. I don't know. There's really nothing going on before we go to the arena around 3 p.m. for tonight's All-Star Game. That will air at 7 p.m. CT on TNT. 

I bought a bag of chips upon arrival on Friday, and there are still chips left. I'm afraid I'm out of my peak snacking days. Not only have I disappointed myself, I feel like I've disappointed my family.

Continue to check out the site and our social platforms for pretty cool content from us. 

I'll be on WCCO Radio in about 10 minutes if you want to listen. Of course, you'd have to be reading this as I'm typing this to actually listen, so that's kind of a pointless warning.

We are going to head to STAPLES Center in 20 minutes for the All-Star Game.

As far as content, I'm not really sure what to expect. I was just reminded that this is my first All-Star Game I've covered, which is pretty awesome. 

I still need lunch. But I have a $20 voucher for the arena, which I'm definitely using for candy.

A very, very entertaining last night. Props to the NBA for the best All-Star Game in a while. Players actually played defense! What a concept!

Snack update: I had nachos and Twizzlers at the game.

We have plenty of content up from last night, especially from Towns' double-double performance, and we'll have more later today and in the next few days.

We don't fly out until 6 p.m. tonight, so we have some time to kill. I'm going to head to the gym shortly (elliptical only) before packing up and doing some exploring around before we need to head to the airport.

We saw team photographer David Sherman last night for a split second, which was nice. He's one of THE BEST guys around. 

I'm probably going to get coffee and breakfast after the gym.

Have a great Monday. And if you're back in Minnesota, drive safe today!

We got in around midnight. I watched "Murder On The Orient Express" and I can tell you it was not a good movie at all. So don't watch it.

I went through a sharable bag of M&amp;Ms on the flight. I'm feeling really great about myself right now.

I have the day off today, so I'm just hanging out with my cat and going grocery shopping in a bit.

As far as the Timberwolves go, they play again on Friday against the Rockets in Houston, and if I had to guess, they'll have some sort of practice tomorrow. We'll keep you updated.

As always, thanks for reading. Until next time. 

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Ratke On The Road | 2018 All-Star Edition

In his first of many All-Star games, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns did not disappoint.

Towns, who leads the league with 51 double-doubles, notched another one on Sunday night in Los Angeles. In just 18 minutes, Towns finished with 17 points (sixth in game) and 10 rebounds (tied for first) while shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

“I’m just happy to be here,” Towns said after the game. “You can’t complain about nothing. I had the best seats in the house for probably one of the best sporting events in the world.”

Towns’ Team Stephen fell 148-145 in one of the more competitive All-Star Games that we’ve seen in quite some time.

“I’m going to remember it,” Towns said. “It was a fun game. It was a close game. I think the fans enjoyed it a lot. It’s something I hope to be part of for many consecutive years ahead.”

Fellow Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler did not play due to rest.

“This Timberwolves season is very, very important to me,” Butler said. “I’ve got to make sure I’m ready to roll when I get back there.”

You can check out Towns’ highlights from the night below.

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Towns Shines On All-Star Stage

Karl-Anthony Towns came out firing in his first-career All-Star Game.

The first-time All-Star ended the first quarter with a game-high 11 points to go with two rebounds. Towns shot 5-for-6 from the field and 1-for-2 from the 3-point line to get Team Stephen off to a 42-31 lead.

If he keeps this up, Towns is going to be bringing some hardwood with him back to Minneapolis.

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WATCH: Towns Lights Up 1Q At All-Star

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Towns At 2018 All-Star Game

Saturday marked media availability for the 2018 NBA All-Stars after their practice.

It’s kind of a weird event. A bunch of sweaty reporters cram themselves in front of a podium, hoping to get a quote on whatever it is they want to write about.

We were looking for quotes on our guys, Jimmy and KAT. And my goodness, were people ever generous.

My favorite came from DeMar DeRozan, who no longer has to worry about Jimmy Butler being in the Eastern Conference.

“Man, Jimmy is a hell of a leader in all ways. You can see him go to a young team like the Timberwolves and you see where they’re at because of Jimmy,” DeRozan told us. “Jimmy is one of those guys that can change the whole culture. His whole mindset is about winning. He don’t take no crap. He’s going to push you to win.”

We’ll end up using these quotes for longer stories in the future, but they were just so good, we had to loop you in right away, mostly because we love you so much. And because we have to write things on this trip otherwise they won’t send us back.

Al Horford, who has known Karl-Anthony Towns since his high-school days, has been impressed with Towns’ development in his third season.

“I’ve been just very impressed with Karl. His development has happened so fast that it’s just really surprised me,” Horford said. “Going from college he was a certain way. As soon as he got to the NBA, he’s just shot up and he’s like the prototypical big man for the future of the NBA. He does it all and it’s just been a lot of fun watching him grow as a human being.”

Butler and Towns have the Wolves fourth in the West, knocking on the door for third with a 36-25 record. DeRozan’s teammate, Kyle Lowry, has noticed the impact Butler joining the Wolves this offseason has had on the club.

“I think Jimmy’s been Jimmy and he’s been unbelievable,” Lowry said. “His leadership is the thing that tipped them to the next level, taken the Wolves to the next level. Just his overall leadership.”

Lowry was also very generous to Towns, calling him “one of the most talented players in the NBA.”

For Towns, he’s been more consistent and although 2018 marks his first All-Star game, his buddy and 3-point contest winner, Devin Booker, thinks he should have made it his first two years.

“Consistency is one thing,” Booker said. “Since his rookie year, I thought he should have been (an All-Star). An unbelievable talent. I’ve always known that, being a teammate of his. Just the approach he takes to the game. He wants to be the best and he acts as such. He trains as such. High character. Really close my friend. Always will be.”

And even though Towns and fellow Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis don’t seem to get along great on the court, Davis has an immense respect for Towns.

“He’s come a long way and he’s only going to get better,” Davis said.

Portland’s Damian Lillard and San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge (former teammates) have both gotten multiple looks at the Wolves with Butler and they both agreed that it’s made a huge difference on the identity of the team.

The Wolves are 2-1 against Portland this season and 1-1 against San Antonio.

“I mean, they’re a completely different team when he’s on the floor,” Lillard said. “We’ve had a lot of success against them and since he’s gotten there, it’s been a lot more difficult.”

“He’s a competitor,” Aldridge said of Butler. “He kind of takes that underdog mentality. I know him pretty well. He just made them a little tougher, more grit.”

There’s plenty more work for these two to do before the season ends (and playoffs begin), but so far, their impact around the league has been noticed.

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Everyone Has Good Things To Say About Jimmy And KAT

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KAT And Butler Get High Praise From All-Stars

The Wolves have two All-Stars for the first time since 2003-04.

Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns are both on Team Stephen. For Butler, it’s his fourth-straight appearance. For Towns, it’s his first and he’s excited to be with his teammate in Los Angeles for the weekend.

“You not only get the chance to experience this for yourself, but with your brother and share it, it’s amazing,” Towns said Saturday. “We’re here just representing the Timberwolves as best as possible.”

In his third season, Towns is averaging 20. 2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting career highs of 54.6 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from the 3-point line and 85.8 percent from the free-throw line. His 51 double-doubles lead the NBA.

Towns and Butler have the Wolves off to a 36-25 record, fourth in the West.

But the Wolves need to make a push in the final 21 games if they want to keep a homecourt advantage in the first-round of the playoffs.

“We need to focus on making sure we’re not complacent,” Towns said. “We need to find ways to grow as a team and get better to be the best team possible.”

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Towns On Being In All-Star Game With Butler: 'It's Amazing'

minskhan

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All-Star Practice: KAT and Jimmy

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