BBNBA: Julius Randle sets Knick milestone with 40/15 game
Prior to Sunday, the last New York Knickerbocker to score at least 40 points and grab 15 rebounds in a game was Patrick Ewing back in 1996. Julius Randle reset the clock on that timer when he put up 42 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists in the Knicks’ win over the Detroit Pistons.
After the game, Randle said, “[Patrick Ewing] is a legend…I’m honored and blessed to do something he did.”
Randle’s 42 points are his highest single-game total of the season, four shy of his career-high 46.
The physical style of play Randle exhibits on the court is something he is passing down to his offspring. A video circled around the Internet this weekend of Randle’s son, Kyden, in a youth basketball game calling for the ball, but when he didn’t get it passed to him, mini-Randle, wearing #30, ran over and tackled his teammate.
Credit to this takedown form. Maybe that will teach the kid with the ball to pass it to the guy with NBA genes next time.
It is easy to be overshadowed by Julius Randle, but Immanuel Quickley had yet another solid game off the bench for New York, dropping 17 points in 34 minutes. Russell Westbrook will likely run away with the 6th Man of the Year award this season, but Quickley could very well place in the top 10. Vegas Insider currently ranks him with the 13th-best odds to win it.
For Detroit, Kevin Knox put up an impressive 16 points on 3-4 from deep, and Hamidou Diallo chipped in six points and four rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder get win over Brooklyn
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is good at basketball. Part of me keeps waiting for his performances to dip back down to what naysayers might call reality, but the truth is that SGA is that dude.
On Sunday, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, nabbed seven boards, and claimed an assist, a block, and a steal in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets.
SGA continues to stuff the box score. He has only scored fewer than 20 points three times all season, and there has only been one game in his last seven where he failed to record a least a single rebound, assist, block, and steal.
His individual success has been translating to wins as of late. The Thunder have won five of their last six games and are in a virtual tie with the three times for the final play-in spot. Look for a competitive second half of the season.
De’Aaron Fox leads Kings past Keldon Johnson, Spurs
Mark Jones of ESPN called De’Aaron Fox the President of the Middy Committee, a compliment to the former Kentucky star’s ability to knock down the mid-range jumper. As much as we talk about Kentucky basketball’s tendency to shoot too many long twos, if you’re as good as De’Aaron Fox at it, it really doesn’t matter.
Fox scored 23 points on Sunday, leading his Kings to a victory over the San Antonio Spurs. As smooth as the middy might be, he is also capable of throwing one down on his opponent’s head. Shortly after he and Jeremy Sochan got into a back-and-forth trash talk session, Fox took the ball coast-to-coast and dropped a hammer on the Dennis Rodman wannabe’s dyed hair.
What’s prettier than watching a lefty shoot? Watching a lefty dunk.
Trey Lyles kept up his mini-hot streak during the contest as well, scoring 12 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field. This is Lyles’ fifth game in a row scoring double figures, his longest stretch of the season. Malik Monk had a quiet two points in 15 minutes off the bench.
When it comes to the San Antonio Spurs, for better or worse, it is the Keldon Johnson show. Johnson had 20 points on the evening, but it took him 25 shots to get here (more than double that of any other teammate) as he shot just 32 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the arc.
We knew the Spurs would rely on Johnson this season, as their roster does not exactly mimic the 1996 Bulls, but he needs more help than this.
Other BBNBA Notes:
- Wenyen Gabriel was on the court during a wild finish in Los Angeles that saw Russell Westbrook dribble the air out of the ball in the final seconds with the Lakers down one before throwing it haphazardly off the bottom of the rim, securing his team’s defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers. Gabriel had 14 points on the night, the second game in a row he reached the number. He is shooting an incredible 62.7% from the field this season and has found a niche in the NBA by being reliable without having any plays called for him. It’s a good role to fill. For the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey came off the bench and scored 16 points.
- John Wall will miss at least two weeks for the LA Clippers with an abdominal injury, so Brandon Boston Jr. will rep Kentucky on his own for a bit. Boston scored five points in nine minutes on Sunday in his team’s 121-110 win over the Houston Rockets. TyTy Washington, whose spirit is desperately missed on this year’s Kentucky team, scored two points in his 12 minutes off the bench.
- Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets continue their dominance in the West. They remain in first place having won six in a row and eight of their last 10 games, fending off an equally hot Memphis Grizzlies. On Sunday, they beat Orlando, helped by Murray’s 18 points and seven assists.
1/15/2023 Statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 117-104 W vs. DET | 42 | 15-24 (4-7) | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 40 | +14 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 112-102 W vs. BRK | 28 | 8-17 (1-4) | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 132-119 W vs. SAN | 23 | 11-21 (1-4) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | +4 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 119-132 L vs. SAN | 20 | 8-25 (2-10) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 35 | -18 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 119-116 W vs. ORL | 18 | 6-17 (3-10) | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | -9 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 117-104 W vs. DET | 17 | 6-13 (3-6) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34 | +6 |
| Kevin Knox (DET) | 104-117 L vs. NYK | 16 | 5-6 (3-4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | -11 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 113-112 W vs. LAL | 16 | 6-13 (1-5) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | +2 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 112-113 L vs. PHI | 14 | 7-11 (0-1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | +4 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 132-119 W vs. SAN | 12 | 4-4 (1-1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | +12 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 104-117 L vs. NYK | 6 | 3-7 (0-0) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 | -5 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 121-110 W vs. HOU | 5 | 2-5 (1-2) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | +4 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 140-123 W vs. DAL | 4 | 2-4 (0-2) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | -9 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 132-119 W vs. SAN | 2 | 1-4 (0-1) | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | -3 |
| TyTy Washington (HOU) | 110-121 L vs. LAC | 2 | 1-4 (0-2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | -7 |
| Nerlens Noel (DET) | 104-117 L vs. NYK | DNP – Foot | ||||||||
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 112-113 L vs. PHI | DNP – Foot | ||||||||
| John Wall (LAC) | 121-110 W vs. HOU | DNP – Ab |
Today in the NBA on MLK Day
1:00: Celtics @ Hornets (PJ Washington, Richards)
2:30: Pacers (Jackson) @ Bucks
3:00: Pelicans @ Cavaliers
3:00: Raptors @ Knicks
3:00: Warriors @ Wizards
3:30: Heat (Herro, Adebayo) @ Hawks
4:00: Jazz (Vanderbilt) @ Timberwolves (Towns)
6:00: Suns (Booker) @ Grizzlies
10:30 Rockets (T. Washington) @ Lakers (Davis, Gabriel)
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