BBNBA: Anthony Davis and Jamal Murray shine in Western Conference battle
Thursday marked a very big and monumental night in Los Angeles.
Fittingly, on 2/8/24, the Los Angeles Lakers would unveil a statue of 5x NBA Champion Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena. The statue resembles the late Bryant walking off the court after his legendary 81-point game back in 2006. Additionally, Bryant is the seventh person to have a statue erected in his honor outside of the historic arena. Longtime Lakers announcer Chick Hearn also has a statue in his honor.
Why 2/8/24? Bryant wore both the No. 8 and the No. 24 on his jersey during his 20-year career with the Lakers. His daughter, Gianna, whose life was also lost during the tragic helicopter crash in 2020, wore No. 2.
Of course, there was still a game to be played following the pregame festivities. Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets would spoil what was an emotional night for the Lakers as the former ‘Cat would put up a team-high 29 points while shooting 5-9 (55.6%) from deep and recording 11 assists. Murray’s third-straight game with a double-double now has the Nuggets tied for first place in the Western Conference.
Then, despite the loss, Anthony Davis looked like the Wooden Award winner he once was back during his time at Kentucky. Davis would score 32 points, grab nine rebounds, and swat away four shots on the night. The Lakers big man would shoot an efficient 14-27 (51.9%) from the field as well, even though he was matched up against 2x NBA MVP Nikola Jokic for the majority of the night.
Other BBNBA Notes:
- Behind Karl-Anthony Towns‘ 19 points and five rebounds, the T-Wolves were able to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, making sure they still hold a share of the top seed in the West.
- The San Antonio Spurs fell to 10-42 as Keldon Johnson scored 12 points in a 127-111 loss to the Orlando Magic. However, an Orlando victory means we get to play the song.
- In his NBA debut with the Trail Blazers, Ashton Hagans scored four points and dished out three assists in 28 minutes of play.
- Lastly, in just 11 minutes of play, Isaiah Jackson would score four points while grabbing three rebounds in the Pacers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors at home.
- The trade deadline came and went on Thursday afternoon. Only two former ‘Cats were moved ahead of the cutoff. Kevin Knox was traded from the Pistons to the Jazz on Wednesday while PJ Washington was traded from the Hornets to the Mavericks just hours before the deadline.
2/8/24 Statistics:
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 114-106 L vs DEN | 32 | 14-27 (0-3) | 9 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | -11 | 38 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 114-106 W @ LAL | 29 | 12-15 (5-9) | 7 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 36 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 129-105 W @ MIL | 19 | 7-15 (4-6) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 30 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 127-111 L @ ORL | 12 | 5-12 (2-7) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 24 |
| Ashton Hagans (POR) | 128-122 L vs DET | 4 | 2-7 (0-3) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -28 | 28 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 131-109 L vs GSW | 4 | 1-2 (0-0) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -12 | 11 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 122-108 L vs DAL | DNP: Shoulder | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TyTy Washington Jr. (MIL) | 129-105 L vs MIN | DNP: G-League | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chris Livingston (MIL) | 129-105 L vs MIN | DNP: G-League | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 129-115 W vs UTA | DNP: Hip | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 128-122 L vs DET | DNP: Core | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 114-106 L vs DEN | DNP: Foot | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA:
- 7:00 EST (NBA TV) | Hawks @ 76ers (Maxey)
- 7:30 EST | Rockets @ Raptors (Quickley)
- 7:30 EST | Wizards @ Celtics
- 8:00 EST | Hornets (Richards) @ Bucks (Washington Jr.: 2Way, Livingston: 2Way)
- 10:00 EST | Nuggets (Murray) @ Kings (Lyles, Monk, Fox)
- 10:30 EST (NBA TV) | Pelicans @ Lakers (Vanderbilt, Davis)
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