BBNBA: Bledsoe Powers Bucks to 16th Straight Win
Good afternoon, folks. The reigning MVP was sidelined on Wednesday night, so Eric Bledsoe took matters into his own hands. Let’s talk NBA.
RECAP
While Giannis rests, Bledsoe drops 29
Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was an onlooker during the Bucks 127-112 drumming of the New Orleans Pelicans. Thanks to former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe, the Greek Freak’s services were never necessary.
Bledsoe popped off for 29 points on 10-13 shooting including an efficient 5-6 clip from deep to go along with three rebounds, six assists, and two steals. The win for Milwaukee pushed the team’s overall record to 22-3 as they are in the midst of an unreal 16-game winning streak. The franchise record for most consecutive wins is 20, which was set back during the 1970-71 season – Kareem Abdul-Jabaar’s second year in the NBA. Read into this if you want, but that was also the last time the Bucks won the NBA Finals.
Five made triples was a season-high for Bledsoe, who poured in 11 third-quarter points that stomped out a brief Pelicans rally. New Orleans lost its 10th straight game.
Timberwolves lose 6th consecutive game
Things keep getting uglier for Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Wednesday night, Minny took a 127-116 loss to the Utah Jazz. KAT posted 21 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists but was just 2-9 from beyond the arc with five turnovers. Oddly enough, the Wolves still boast a winning road record of 7-6. However, after the loss to Utah, they are an abysmal 3-8 at home.
Minnesota has been dealing with some minor injuries to role players, but the team has cratered even with Towns playing at an All-Star level on offense.
Knicks win the toilet bowl in overtime
Have you ever wanted a basketball game to end so badly that you would rather watch the two teams miss shots instead of sending it into overtime? That was me at 1 a.m. this morning watching the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors try to play professional basketball.
At halftime, Golden State trailed by 18 points and I thought to myself “thank god I won’t have to stay up late and watch this game”. But then the Warriors kept coming back, and the Knicks played even more Knick-ier than ever before. With every made 3 from D’Angelo Russell, I could feel my eyes begging to be shut. My brain desperately wanted me to shut off this junior varsity exhibition and get some sleep. But I was drawn to the misery. When the game ultimately went to overtime, I shed one single tear – probably from sleep deprivation. I knew this was going to be disgusting to watch for another five minutes as the clock turned over to a new day.
But seriously, this game was no fun. New York did manage to pull out the 124-122 win in overtime and end its 10-game losing streak, but there wasn’t a single viewer who was happy to see it go down. Julius Randle finished with a great stat line of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists while Kevin Knox was glued to the bench once again, playing in just 16 minutes for two points and three rebounds.
These two teams are a combined 10-41 and sit at the bottom of its respective conference standings.
Other notes
- Anthony Davis registered 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks in a 96-87 win over the Orlando Magic. Rajon Rondo sat out his second straight game for the Lakers as he deals with a sore hamstring.
- Devin Booker recorded a 15-point, 10-assist double-double for the Phoenix Suns, although it came in a losing effort to the Memphis Grizzlies, 115-108. Ja Morant also did this for the Grizz to put the game away for good.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist appeared in his third consecutive game for the Charlotte Hornets, going for 11 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes as his squad earned a 113-108 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
- Check out the full stat sheet below.
STATISTICS
[table id=445 /]
TONIGHT IN THE NBA
8:00 (TNT): 76ers @ Celtics (Kanter)
8:30: Spurs (Lyles) @ Cavaliers (Knight)
9:00: Mavericks @ Pistons
10:30 (TNT): Trail Blazers (Labissiere) @ Nuggets (Murray-questionable)
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