Reid wins Sixth Man of the Year award

NEW YORK (AP) — Naz Reid was having a productive season as a reserve when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed him in the starting lineup while playing without All-star Karl-anthony Towns.

Reid was excellent in that role, too, helping the Timberwolves to the secondbest season in franchise history.

Reid was rewarded with the NBA’S Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, April 24, edging Sacramento’s Malik Monk in a close vote to become the third undrafted player to win the award for the league’s best reserve.

Reid averaged career highs of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games. The forwardcenter came off the bench 67 times, getting a feel for the game in the early minutes before getting his chance to impact it.

“I kind of joke around with my teammates a little bit, but it’s kind of a saying where I feel like we have to keep the momentum going, anyway,” Reid said in an interview on TNT after the award was announced. “Either we got to have the mentality to come back in the game, or to push the lead forward.”

The 6-foot-9 Reid helped the Timberwolves do that plenty of times en route to a 56-26 record to earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. They have a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series.

Towns was hurt in March and missed the next 18 games. Yet the Wolves hardly slowed down, going 10-3 from March 16 to April 10 while Reid started 12 of the 13 games. He averaged 17.1 points on 45.4% shooting during that span.

Reid got 45 first-place votes to 43 for Monk from a panel of 99 reporters and broadcasters who cover the league. Both players had 39 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes, giving Reid a total of 352 points to Monk’s 342.

Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. finished third. Norman Powell of the Clippers was fourth and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic rounded out the top five.