BBNBA: Immanuel Quickley isn't slowing down, drops 39 in win
He’s the man of the hour, man of the month, and Sixth Man of the Year. Immanuel Quickley has been playing lights out as the NBA regular season dwindles down.
On Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, IQ led all scorers with a bruising 39-point outing. The New York Knicks continue to rally behind the young man, this time doing it in a 138-129 win on the road.
Quickley has been flat-out awesome the past month; there’s really no better way to put it. One month ago, he dropped a then-career-high in Boston. That outing saw Quickley finish with 38 points in over 55 minutes played — a double overtime dub. Scoring big isn’t a fluke for IQ. Less than 10 days ago he put up a 40-burger. He was able to eclipse his old career-high and explode for 40 points in a win vs. Houston.
IQ just refuses to stop scoring.
Wednesday night’s 39-point performance means Quickley has dropped 38, 39, and 40 points all in one month. Those aren’t “off-the-bench, role-player” numbers. In fact, they’re “contract-extension” numbers.
On the topic of Sixth Man of the Year… if Quickley somehow wasn’t the choice before last night, he is now. The 23-year-old is averaging 14.6 PPG, which I get doesn’t blow people away. However, look at his numbers in the last month. Look at how the Knicks are playing. They’ve won five straight, and IQ dropped 39 and 40 in two of those five games.
While nothing is set in stone, New York is on the brink of clinching the fifth seed in the East. They’re scheduled to get Cleveland in the first round. Could be much worse. Dare I bring this back again? #PickQuick
By royal decree
BBNBA action in the Western Conference didn’t go as planned for the Kentucky boys. In an NBA night where only three of the eight total games had BBNBA implications, we shift our focus to the Lakers and Kings’ respective contests. Both California squads suffered losses Wednesday night, however, the losses are miles different.
The Sacramento Kings are just fine. The Kings lost 123-119 in Dallas, but I doubt it’ll keep them up at night. Sacramento has already clinched the Pacific Division and only has two possibilities for its postseason fate. The most likely spot where the Kings land is the three seed. If they lose any of their two remaining games, they’ll land here. The two seed is still in question, but they’ll need to win out and Memphis to lose out. Not as likely to happen.
As for the ex-Wildcats last night, they kept on hooping. De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento in scoring, dropping 28 points on 10-26 of shooting. Nice to see that Mr. Fox hasn’t slowed down in these final games. Malik Monk and Trey Lyles combined for 21 points off the bench in the loss. The once Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Monk finished with 13 while Lyles added eight.
Meanwhile, n the Battle of LA, the Lakers fell 125-118 to the crosstown Clippers. The Purple and Gold tried rallying late, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Lakers had a golden opportunity last night — with a win, they would leapfrog the Clippers and overtake sixth place in the West. Remember, sixth place avoids the Play-In, a fate that looks too real for the Lakers.
The Lakers were coming off a four-game win streak before the loss. It was some of the best basketball that this squad had strung together all season long. Anthony Davis has been surreal as of late. He dropped 40 points on Houston on Sunday and has a double-double in three of his last four outings. AD is putting up Quickley-like numbers. Never thought I’d say that.
On Wednesday night, Davis went for 17 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort. He’s playing more than 30 minutes a night on the regular, which is good for a player that has been so criticized based on a high injury record. If AD continues to play like the dominant big that everyone knows, seeding may not even be an issue for the Lakers. Just give them whoever.
The other BBNBA gentlemen were quieter than AD last night. I know, shocking. Jarred Vanderbilt seems to know his role well. Play defense and scrap it out down low. Vando finished with eight points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Finally, the third Kentucky-Laker big man added six points and four rebounds. Wenyen Gabriel isn’t the first choice on the depth chart, but he’s still getting valuable minutes. 15 pivotal minutes in an extremely pivotal point of the season. Good on you, Wenyen.
The Los Angeles Lakers sit one game back from fifth and sixth place. The schedule for them? The Phoenix Suns (44-35) and Utah Jazz (36-43) await. The Lakers don’t control their own destiny for a guaranteed playoff series; they need things to go their way. Crazier things have happened though. There are two to three games left in the NBA regular season for each respective squad. Grab your popcorn.
Other BBNBA notes
- Isaiah Jackson nearly had a double-double as the Pacers fell at home. Jackson ended with 10 points and eight rebounds.
- Some BBNBA no-shows were Julius Randle who didn’t feature for the Knicks. Neither did Hamidou Diallo for Detroit.
4/5/23 BBNBA statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 138-129 W @ IND | 39 | 14-26 (7-13) | 6 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +27 | 39 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 123-119 L @ DAL | 28 | 10-26 (1-6) | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +4 | 32 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 125-118 L @ LAC | 17 | 7-14 (0-1) | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +9 | 32 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 123-119 L @ DAL | 13 | 5-15 (2-6) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +5 | 23 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 138-129 L vs. NYK | 10 | 3-3 (0-0) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +6 | 21 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 125-118 L @ LAC | 8 | 3-5 (0-1) | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +12 | 24 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 123-119 L @ DAL | 8 | 3-7 (2-4) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 18 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 125-118 L @ LAC | 6 | 3-6 (0-2) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -16 | 15 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 123-108 L vs. BKN | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 138-129 W @ IND | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 125-118 W vs. LAL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Cavaliers @ Magic
7:30 (TNT): Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ 76ers (Maxey)
8:00: Blazers (Sharpe, Knox II) @ Spurs
9:00: Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Sarr) @ Jazz
10:00 (TNT): Nuggets (Murray) @ Suns (Booker)
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