NBA short takes

• Timberwolves teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are consecutive No. 1 overall picks who have played their way through youthful errors for losing teams to start their NBA careers.

Celtics Jaylen Brown and rookie Jayson Tatum are lottery picks finding their roles on a winning team.

"It's two different roads traveled," Towns said. "But hopefully we all meet at the end being some of the best players to play."

• Ever seen this and wonder why?

Timberwolves veteran guard Jamal Crawford blows on his hands, kicks up one foot behind him and touches it, then kicks up the other foot and touches it, too, before he spins 360 degrees while a teammate handles the ball on the floor's other side.

Just what is that?

"It's a habit," he said. "I have a few of those."

But he knows better.

"I know DeMarcus and Anthony and I know how they are," Calipari said. "What's the word above competitive? Whatever that is, they are. They're prideful in who and what they are vs. everybody else and I didn't want to sit there and watch them torture Karl."