BBNBA: Ashton Hagans notches career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals
The Undertaker-like resurgence of Ashton Hagans is the most low-key amazing BBNBA storyline of the 2023-24 season. Yes, the Portland Trail Blazers are the combination of injured and rotten, leading them to give the majority of their real live National Basketball Association minutes to what might otherwise be their G-League players, but Hagans is one of them, and therefore I fully support it.
The Blazers faced off against the equally woeful Grizzlies on Saturday night, and the G-League leader in assists seized his opportunity on the big stage. Hagans played a career-high 33 minutes off the bench and set career-highs in pretty much every other statistical category while he was as it.
The former Kentucky point guard finished with 13 points (the first time in his NBA career he reached double figures), eight assists (which led the team), five rebounds (all defensive), and two steals in Portland’s overtime victory. His sample size may be small, but those are all single-game career highs.
Hagans’ 13 points on Saturday are more than double his previous high of six and included his first career 3-pointer.
It has been quite the professional basketball journey for Hagans since he left Lexington, but his NBA cup of coffee has gone from a tall to a grande. Let’s see if he sticks around long enough to become a venti.
Other BBNBA Notes:
- Devin Booker scored 24 points but the Phoenix Suns dropped a winnable game to the Houston Rockets to snap their eight-game home winning streak. Worse yet, Book went down in the final two minutes with an ankle injury when he stepped on a teammate’s foot. No word on the severity just yet, but the Suns should probably expect him to miss some time.
- LeBron James earned game-pausing accolades by scoring his 40,000th point in his NBA career. Love him or hate him, that is a lot of points. Regardless, the Lakers lost to the defending champion Denver Nuggets despite a 17-point, 11-rebound, double-double from Anthony Davis.
- In the aforementioned Nuggets victory, Jamal Murray had a double-double of his own. The former Kentucky sharpshooter poured in 24 points and dished out 11 assists to help his team get the win.
- Five former Kentucky players saw an NBA court on Saturday and all of them scored double figures. Bam Adebayo had 23 points and seven boards in a battle of two of the NBA’s three non-plural nickname teams. The Heat bested the Jazz 126-120. For some reason, after the game, Adebayo was interviewed by a kid.
BBNBA Statistics for 3/2/2024
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | P/M | MIN |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 109-118 L vs. HOU | 24 | 7-17 (2-4) | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -17 | 38 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 124-114 W vs. LAL | 24 | 11-23 (1-5) | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +6 | 38 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 126-120 W vs. UTA | 23 | 10-15 (0-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 34 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 114-124 L vs. DEN | 17 | 7-13 (0-0) | 11 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -11 | 39 |
| Ashton Hagans (POR) | 107-100 W vs. MEM | 13 | 4-9 (2-4) | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 6 | +5 | 33 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 114-124 L vs. DEN | DNP-Foot | ||||||||
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 126-120 W vs. UTA | DNP-Foot | ||||||||
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 107-100 W vs. MEM | DNP-Core |
Today in the NBA
1:00 (ABC): 76ers (Maxey) @ Mavericks (PJ Washington)
3:30 (ABC) Warriors @ Celtics
3:30: Clippers (Boston) @ Timberwolves (Towns)
6:00: Pistons @ Magic
6:00: Hornets (Richards) @ Raptors (Quickley)
7:00: Knicks (Randle: out) @ Cavaliers
7:00: Pacers (Jackson, Tshiebwe: Two-way) @ Spurs (Johnson)
9:30: Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Sarr: Two-way) @ Suns (Booker)
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