BBNBA: De'Aaron Fox, Kings continue to struggle, lose in Toronto
What an exciting Monday night it was, BBN! While some players continue to struggle, others inch closer to NBA records. Let’s see who:
Kings drop third straight to Raptors
It was clear from the beginning of this game what the outcome would be. The Kings looked totally out of synch from the first whistle, leading to a 124-101 loss in Toronto–Sacramento’s third in a row.
The Raptors played like a team. All five of their starters scored in double-digits, including four guys off the bench. Chris Boucher led the Raptors with 17 points, matching his season-high. Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes each added 16, helping Toronto post a season-best 53 made field goals. The Raptors scored a staggering 70 points in the first half.
The Kings, on the other hand, looked flat from the start. De’Aaron Fox led with 29 points. Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III added 14 and 12, respectively. In the end, it wasn’t enough. After the game, interim coach Alvin Gentry called the loss “embarrassing.”
Gentry said the players had a closed-door meeting after the game, though Fox and his teammates were reluctant to talk about it. Fox wasn’t afraid to talk about the game itself, though. After the game, he went on this explicit rant when asked if his team was playing hard enough.
Tyrese Maxey is putting up numbers for Philly
Tyrese Maxey seems to play his best ball in the absence of big man Joel Embiid, an interesting phenomenon that many Sixers fans are starting to notice. Despite a 126-91 Sixers loss in Memphis last night, Maxey led his team with 23 points and seven assists–as Embiid stayed on the bench with rib soreness.
Embiid was absent for eight-straight games last month after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Maxey led the 76ers in scoring in four of those eight games, averaging 24 points per game in the stretch. Last night marked his most points scored since Embiid’s return.
Dillon Brooks led the Grizzlies with 23 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 of his own as Memphis went on to shoot better than 50% in the match. The Grizzlies have now won eight of their last nine, showing major improvement from the early season. Memphis is still without leading scorer Ja Morant, who suffered a left knee injury on Nov. 26.
Steph just two 3s away from NBA record
Not BBN-related, but pretty cool nonetheless. Steph Curry made five three-pointers in the Golden State’s 102-100 win over the Pacers last night, leaving him just two short of beating Ray Allen’s record.
Steph, a Davidson college alumni and seventh pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is currently sitting at 2,972 made three-pointers in the regular season. He is in only his 13th season, while Allen took 18 seasons to set the record.
Though last night’s game was in Indianapolis, it looks like quite a few Warriors fans traveled from wherever they call home for the match in hopes of witnessing history.
In the end, though, it looks like they will have to buy more tickets. The Warriors will play the Knicks tonight in Madison Square Garden, the NBA’s biggest stage, on TNT. Ticket prices are skyrocketing as fans hope to see a small piece of NBA history.
Full stats from last night’s games:
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3P) | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | TO. | +/- | Min. |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 124-101 L to Raptors | 29 | 11-20 (1-5) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -18 | 32 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 126-91 L to Grizzlies | 23 | 9-17 (2-5) | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -23 | 30 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 105-94 L to Cavaliers | 12 | 6-15 (0-3) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 25 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 120-96 L to Mavericks | 11 | 5-12 (0-3) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 28 |
| Eric Bledsoe (LAC) | 111-95 W over Suns | 10 | 4-8 (1–2) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 24 |
| Demarcus Cousins (MIL) | 117-103 L to Celtics | 6 | 2-4 (2-3) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 13 |
| BJ Boston Jr. (LAC) | 111-95 W over Suns | 0 | 0-4 (0-3) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -9 | 16 |
| Enes Freedom (BOS) | 117-103 W over Bucks | 0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 | 3 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 120-96 L to Mavericks | 0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10 | 3 |
Tonight in the NBA:
7:30 p.m. – Raptors at Nets
7:30 p.m. (TNT) – Warriors at Knicks (Knox, Quickley, Noel, Randle)
10:00 p.m. – Suns (Booker – out) at Trail Blazers
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