BBNBA: Isaiah Jackson leads Pacers to victory in first NBA start
Happy Tuesday, BBN. As we draw closer to the NBA All-Star break, things are heating up. While some teams are streaking towards the midway point, others are stalling. Let’s see who.
Isaiah Jackson is figuring things out in Indy
Former Wildcat Isaiah Jackson was drafted No. 22 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year’s NBA draft, though he eventually found his home in Indianapolis. After spending some time in the G League, he is making a strong case for himself with the Pacers organization. Last night, Jackson made his first career NBA start – and he did not disappoint. He led the Pacers with 26 points and 10 rebounds in their 122-116 win over the Clippers.
Caris LeVert was close to a double-double as well, ending with 17 points and nine assists. Duane Washington Jr. and Terry Taylor added 16 and 15 off the bench for Indiana. Washington made all four of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter, helping give his team a bit of breathing room.
The Clippers were missing some big names in injured All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Amir Coffey led with 27 points. Serge Ibaka added a 14-point 11-rebound double-double of his own, but it just wasn’t enough. Former ‘Cat Eric Bledsoe contributed 13 off the bench in the loss.
Jackson is getting more playing time in recent games as the Pacers have been dealing with injuries and illnesses among their big men. He’s averaging 18.3 points over his last three games, and his timing couldn’t be better. There have been reports in the last few months that the Pacers are willing to trade some of their veterans to focus on their younger potential like Jackson.
Maxey puts the nail in the Grizzlies’ coffin
Speaking of former Kentucky stars who are getting it done at the next level. Tyrese Maxey has been giving the 76ers some really impressive minutes this year. Last night was one of his best of all, as he helped push the Sixers to a tight 122-119 overtime win against a red hot Grizzlies team.
Maxey led his team with 33 points, eight assists and four blocks. It was the timing of the buckets that made all the difference, though. Maxey flew by Ja Morant late in overtime and pulled off an acrobatic layup to give the Sixers a one-point lead. Not long after, he scored the final bucket of the game to send the Grizzlies home for good.
This win was particularly impressive for the Sixers considering they were without five-time All-Star Joel Embiid, who took the game off to rest. Maxey stepped up big time in last night’s win, as did former Tennessee Volunteer Tobias Harris who ended with 31. Andre Drummond added 16 points and grabbed an eye-catching 23 rebounds as well.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 37 while Desmond Bane added 34. The Grizzlies have been impressive all season, recording an 11-game win streak at one point. Morant, a Murray State grad, has been phenomenal at the helm. He is currently averaging 26.1 points per game, good for eighth in the NBA.
(Kentucky) Knicks end three game skid
To top off the good news, the (Kentucky) Knicks won last night too. The Knicks beat the Kings 116-96 in the Garden thanks to a true team effort — and it came at a good time. Prior to last night’s win, New York had lost their previous three games and was looking a bit distraught. Nothing a Monday night beatdown at MSG can’t fix, though.
Alec Burks came off the bench to score 21 points in 26 minutes, along with five rebounds and four assists. Our guy Julius Randle looked good as well. Randle, who has struggled a bit with inconsistency this season after being named the league’s Most Improved Player last year, ended with 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Evan Fournier went 4-7 from the 3-point line, ending with 18. Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes each added 14 points each off the bench, as well.
Former Wildcat Immanuel Quickley has been relatively quiet his last few games. Last night continued that trend, as he finished with just six points and went 0-2 on his 3-point attempts. Though he is not scoring as he has in the past, he is finding other ways to help. Last night, he racked up four assists in his time off the bench, including this impressive dish to Jacob Toppin’s brother.
Full stats from last night’s games:
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 122-119 W over Grizzlies (OT) | 33 | 13-23 (1-4) | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 43 | +5 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 122-116 W over Clippers | 26 | 12-19 (1-3) | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | +9 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 116-96 W over Kings | 17 | 7-14 (1-3) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 29 | +10 |
| Eric Bledsoe (LAC) | 122-116 L to Pacers | 13 | 5-13 (1-6) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | -12 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 122-92 L to Celtics | 13 | 5-18 (2-8) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29 | -8 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 122-92 L to Celtics | 12 | 5-11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 32 | -20 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 116-96 W over Kings | 6 | 1-5 (0-2) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | +18 |
| Rajon Rondo (CLE) | 93-90 W over Pelicans | 5 | 2-7 (1-3) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | +4 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 122-116 L to Pacers | 3 | 1-2 (1-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -2 |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 116-96 W over Kings | 2 | 1-1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 21 | +14 |
| Enes Freedom (BOS) | 122-92 W over Heat | 2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +4 |
Tonight in the NBA:
7:00 p.m. – Pelicans at Pistons (Diallo, Lyles)
7:30 p.m. (TNT) – Wizards at Bucks
7:30 p.m. – Heat (Adebayo, Herro) at Raptors
8:00 p.m. – Magic at Bulls
8:00 p.m. – Nuggets (Cousins, Murray*) at Timberwolves (Anthony-Towns)
8:30 p.m. – Warriors at Spurs (Johnson)
10:00 p.m. (TNT) – Nets at Suns (Booker)
*Injured or unavailable
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