BBNBA: Devin Booker's big block, Isaiah Jackson's career-high
Light night of NBA action following yesterday’s jam-packed recap. But Devin Booker and Isaiah Jackson had big games so let’s highlight them.
Booker blocks Mavs
Dallas had won 10 out of their last 12 games and hosted the Phoenix Suns last night in a matchup of the two best Western Conference teams as of late. The stars came to play in this one. Luka Doncic recorded a near-triple-double and scored 28 points while Devin Booker matched him with 28 of his own. The Suns also got 20 points and 11 assists from Chris Paul.
Beyond the stats, CP3 and D-Book made tough individual plays down the stretch to seal the huge road win. Booker had one of the best defensive plays of his career by blocking Dorian Finney-Smith in a violent meeting at the rim.
But the block was called a foul, even though Booker took an arm to the chest and got all-ball on the swat. Still, the Suns saw their superstar step up and sacrifice his body for a defensive stop to set the tone for the rest of the team in moments like that.
Phoenix was able to gain a late lead and hold on, finally pulling away with this dagger from Paul:
Huge win for the Suns once again on the back of Paul and Booker.
Game of the Year for Isaiah Jackson
Isaiah Jackson hadn’t played more than 12 minutes in a game and hadn’t scored in double-digits thus far in his first NBA season. Then, in the Pacers matchup with the Warriors, Jackson alley-ooped his way to 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals to help Indiana take down Golden State a day after they defeated the Lakers.
Heck of a two-day road swap in California for a Pacers team that desperately needed some positive momentum after a disappointing season to date.
Take a look at Jackson’s big one-hand slam during the win:
Knicks stumble again
The New York Knicks are about the least consistent team in the NBA this year. Results, lineups, leading scorers change from game to game, with little rhyme or reason to explain what’s happening on the court with this group. After winning three in a row to rise back above .500 on the season, New York has now dropped three straight to fall back to 22-24.
Last night’s loss to the Pelicans is the most disappointing of the three. Knicks starters performed horribly for the most part. Julius Randle played especially terrible, making just 1-9 shots to score four total points while the first-unit backcourt of Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker combined for 11 points.
But the bench wasn’t too shabby. The reserve guard trio of Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks and Quentin Grimes combined for 40, and IQ individually notched 13 points, four rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes of action.
Check back with us on Sunday, where I’ll probably be recapping a big Knicks win to snap the losing streak. This team, man; so unpredictable.
Statistics
| Player | Result | Points | FG(3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Booker (PHO) | 109-101 W @ DAL | 28 | 11-25 (1-8) | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 38 | +5 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 121-117 W @ GSW | 15 | 5-12 (0-1) | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | -6 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 102-91 L vs. NOP | 13 | 4-13 (2-9) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 23 | +15 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 102-91 L vs. NOP | 4 | 1-9 (0-2) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 29 | -26 |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 102-91 L vs. NOP | DNP – Knee | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
7:00 p.m. Thunder (Gilegous-Alexander) @ Hornets (Washington, Richards)
7:00 p.m. Lakers (Monk, Davis*) @ Magic
7:00 p.m. Clippers (Bledsoe, Gabriel, Boston) @ 76ers (Maxey)
7:30 p.m. Heat (Herro, Adebayo) @ Hawks
7:30 p.m. Trail Blazers @ Celtics (Freedom)
8:00 p.m. Raptors @ Wizards
8:00 p.m. Bulls @ Bucks
8:30 p.m. Nets @ Spurs (Johnson)
9:00 p.m. Grizzlies @ Nuggets
9:00 p.m. Pistons (Lyles, Diallo) @ Jazz
10:00 p.m. Rockets @ Warriors
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