Towns completes sweep with April rookie of month honors

Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns has been named the NBA rookie of the month for April, completing his season sweep of the award.

Towns led all qualified rookies in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding (11.7 rpg), blocked shots (1.7 bpg) and minutes played (35.6 mpg), while ranking fifth in field goal percentage (49.1) and assists (3.6 apg) in April. The 20-year-old also recorded five double-doubles in seven April games, helping the Timberwolves to a 4-3 record in the month.

Towns hit the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds remaining in Minnesota's win over the Trail Blazers, capping a 3-0 West Coast trip for the Timberwolves. He finished the season ranked eighth in the league in rebounding (10.5 rpg), eighth in field goal percentage (54.2), 10th in blocks (1.68 bpg), 26th in scoring (18.3 ppg) and third in double-doubles (51).

The first overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, Towns is the eighth player since the award's inception in the 1981-82 season to win six consecutive Rookie of the Month honors: Damian Lillard in 2012-13, Blake Griffin in 2010-11, Chris Paul in 2005-06, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James in 2003-04, Tim Duncan in 1997-98 and David Robinson in 1989-90.