Karl-Anthony Towns Escapes Death to Inspire Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns wouldn’t have had many more turbulent weeks in his career than the one he just endured.

The 23-year-old was the passenger in a car that had stopped to steer clear of an accident that had just taken place, only to be rear-ended by a truck going 45mph. The young center said he had a five percent chance of getting out alive, but miraculously, he was able to defy the odds.

Karl-Anthony Towns was involved in a car accident Thursday night on his way to the airport. He is listed as questionable for tonight’s game vs. the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/t95mxpiMTP

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 22, 2019

Bouncing back in style

Such an ordeal is likely to have taken its toll on anyone, but Karl-Anthony Towns is not your average player. The 23-year-old bounced backed emphatically against the Sacramento Kings to score 34 points and lead the Timberwolves to victory, with the highlight of the night being a huge windmill slam. It was a display that showed that Towns possesses all the skill of a world-class baller but also the temperament of a champion.

These types of performances are the reason many are tipping Towns to win an MVP award sooner rather than later. It looks out of reach this season, however, especially with the Timberwolves at +6000 to win the Western Conference and +10000 to win the NBA Championship outright.

Harden still odds-on favorite for MVP 18/19

James Harden is still the clear favorite to scoop the prize at odds of -150.00 and at an average of 36.5 points per game – the league’s highest – it’s not hard to see why. Harden will be looking to make it back-to-back MVP awards but it’s not a full gone conclusion yet with Giannis Antetokounmpo breathing down his neck.

Thank you ?NYC for the love…. “The Mecca”❤️ #6️⃣1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/01j0h1CM8U

— James Harden (@JHarden13) January 24, 2019

Antetokounmpo, or otherwise affectionately referred to as the ‘Greek Freak’, is right in the mix at odds of -110 with William Hill. It has been 45 years since any player from the Milwaukee Bucks won the MVP award with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the last to claim it during the 1973-74 season.

Both Harden and Antetokounmpo are locked in a tight race for the award and look to be the outright favorites. Punters backing either player can have a look at a range of online betting sites to claim a free bet to put on the prospective winner of the 2018/2019 Most Valuable Player award.

They do seem the two sensible options but then you can’t write off Paul George yet after playing himself into the MVP discussion.

The Oklahoma City Thunder player is at +900 and has certainly thrown his name into the ring with a string of electric performances, but it may be that there is just too much for the 28-year-old to do to overtake Harden and Antetokounmpo. At least George is in with more of a chance than two time MVP winner Stephen Curry, who is at long odds of +2500. It hasn’t quite come together for Curry this time around as it did during his ridiculous 2015-16 winning MVP season.

These are all of the NBA’s finest that Karl-Anthony Towns will have to beat one day in order to win his first MVP award, but you wouldn’t bet against him doing so at some stage. His recent brush with death may inspire him to reach new heights in the future and in some ways, these experiences can be the catalyst for greatness.