Karl-Anthony Towns scores a career-high 62 points.

Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves was breaking records of his own.

In just the first half of his team’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, Towns scored 44 points, setting a record for the play-by-play era that goes all the way back to the 1996–97 season.

Even though he finished with 62 points on 21 of 35 field goals and 10 of 15 three-pointers, it wasn’t enough to win. In the fourth quarter, Charlotte outscored the Timberwolves by eighteen points, winning 128-125 in the process.

Towns had an absurd first twenty-four minutes of play, but the Timberwolves only led by five points at the break. With 17 points from Miles Bridges in the first half, the Hornets refused to go away.
Shortly after the third quarter began, Towns scored more than fifty points thanks to a huge slam down the baseline.

Early in the fourth quarter, Towns hit a right-handed hook jumper to match his career best. However, he missed his next four attempts, which allowed the Hornets to take advantage. Midway through the fourth quarter, they rapidly reduced the deficit to just five points, and then ended an extended 13-3 run by cutting it back to a single possession following a Timberwolves timeout.

At last, Towns broke the Hornets’ run and set a new career best. After grabbing a pass at the top of the key, he drove all the way to the basket and made a contested layup to score 62 points. For the rest of the way, it was it for him.