BBNBA: Keldon Johnson's Clutch Block Seals Spurs Victory
Keldon Johnson showed once again Monday night why he is one of the Most Improved Players in the NBA.
Johnson made one of the biggest plays of his young career, blocking Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star and former Louisville Cardinal Donovan Mitchell’s go-ahead layup attempt with eight seconds remaining. After Cleveland secured the rebound, a missed three-pointer by Darius Garland ensured San Antonio’s third consecutive win.
The Spurs led by 19 points in the third quarter before allowing a 12-0 Cavalier run.
“He got by me, so I thought he was going to lay it up,” Spurs guard Josh Richardson said after the win. “But [Keldon] came flying out of nowhere. That was a huge block.”
Johnson finished with 21 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes of action. Cleveland infamously passed on the former Kentucky Wildcat in the 2019 NBA Draft in favor of Belmont product Dylan Windler at pick #26. Johnson fell a few more sports to pick #29, where he was selected by San Antonio.
He certainly made the Cavaliers pay Monday night.
Another Night, Another Casual Gilgeous-Alexander 42-Point Barrage
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, the two highest scorers in the NBA, clashed Monday night.
In 25 games played this season, SGA has scored 30+ points in 18 of them. He is second in the league in 30+ point games, one behind Luka’s 19 mark. The Doncic-led Mavericks came out on top 121-114 Monday night.
In 38 minutes played, Gilgeous-Alexander logged 42 points on 14-23 shooting. He was also a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe. Shai is the NBA’s leading free throw shooter by a large margin, making 236 of his 253 attempts (93%). The second-leading free throw shooter is Kevin Durant, who has made 46 fewer free throws than Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA’s 42 points tied a career-high in scoring, which he has now achieved three times.
Other BBNBA Notes
- Beloved former ‘Cat Shaedon Sharpe led the Portland Trail Blazers bench in scoring with 14 points in a 133-112 win over the KAT-less Minnesota Timberwolves. Sharpe has carved out a nice role for himself this season, positioning himself as Portland’s sixth man. Damian Lillard led the charge, knocking down 11 three-pointers, tied for seventh-most in a game in NBA history.
- Bam Adebayo scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in an 87-82 victory for the Miami Heat over the Indiana Pacers, notching his 12th double-double of the season. Tyler Herro had himself a rough night, scoring only eight points on 3-11 shooting, 2-7 from behind the arc.
12/12/2022 Statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 114-121 L vs. DAL | 42 | 14-23 (1-2) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 38 | +6 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 87-82 W vs. IND | 22 | 8-18 (0-0) | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 35 | +1 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 112-111 W vs. CLE | 21 | 8-25 (1-6) | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 34 | +3 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 133-112 W vs. MIN | 14 | 7-12 (0-4) | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | +2 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 87-82 W vs. IND | 8 | 3-11 (2-7) | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 34 | +16 |
| John Wall (LAC) | 113-93 W vs. BOS | 6 | 3-10 (0-2) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | -1 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 113-93 W vs. BOS | 0 | 0-3 (0-0) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 82-87 L vs. MIA | DNP-CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 112-133 L vs. POR | DNP-Calf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles) @ 76ers (Maxey: out)
7:30 (TNT): Warriors @ Bucks
8:00: Suns (Booker) @ Rockets (Washington Jr.)
9:00: Pelicans @ Jazz (Vanderbilt)
10:00 (TNT): Celtics @ Lakers (Davis, Gabriel)
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