BBNBA: SGA goes full villain mode as OKC spoils LeBron's historic night
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the most out of his primetime TV slot Tuesday night. With the whole world tuned in to watch the Thunder take on the Lakers in Los Angeles, a first-time NBA All-Star silently stole the show. Enter, Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander.
All the storylines and social media posts will be focused on LeBron James breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record, but I’m going to take a different approach. While James’ record-shattering night is nothing short of excellence, SGA played spoiler in what could have been a perfect Laker night.
Gilgeous-Alexander went for 30 points on 9-17 shooting in Oklahoma City’s 133-130 win over L.A. SGA also tallied eight assists and two rebounds in the Thunder victory. Let’s just say that when OKC is winning, there’s a good chance SGA is leading the scoring onslaught. Saturday night, he torched Houston with a 42-piece, and last night’s 30-bomb was no different.
SGA continues to fly through this season, averaging 30.8 PPG and ultimately being named as a 2023 Western Conference All-Star reserve. In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t scored under 20 points in a game since New Year’s Eve.
Start modeling your New Year’s resolutions after OKC’s guard if you want to be successful.
While the celebrity-filled night in Los Angeles will be remembered by something else, Gilgeous-Alexander got the last laugh. He continues to propel the Thunder this season to a postseason dream. OKC sits a half-game back of the Play-In and two and a half games back from a guaranteed playoff series. The BBNBA has a bright young superstar in SGA, but that isn’t a shock anymore. Gilgeous-Alexander may not care about a record — he’s here to win.
Keep feeding me BBNBA
Yes! We’re nowhere near done yet, as the Kentucky gentleman for the New York Knicks had themselves a night. In a road matchup versus Orlando, Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley combined for 40 points in New York’s 102-98 win over the Magic.
February has been treating the Knicks right, seeing they’ve won three out of their last four. Randle has been especially inspired this month. After his monster night on Sunday, Randle posted yet another double-double, this time torching Orlando with 22 points and 14 boards. His walking double-double presence led him to his second NBA All-Star selection this past week. Randle is averaging 24.7 PPG and 10.7 RPG this season.
Quickley made the most of his 31 minutes off the bench. He dropped 18 points and four assists in his sixth man role. It seems that this is where most people will be seeing IQ contribute from, considering New York’s starting five is all but locked in.
In his last five games coming off the bench, Quickley has posted 10-plus points, in comparison to his five-point night three days ago where he only added five points while starting the game. Sixth man specialist? It seems so.
D Book back
Great BBNBA news came in Brooklyn on Tuesday night. Devin Booker made his long-anticipated return after a groin injury kept him sidelined for more than a month. Booker went right back into Phoenix’s starting five, although head coach Monty Williams looks to have eased Booker back into his superstar role. D Book only played 25 minutes, the least out of any Phoenix starter. It’s understandable that Booker might take a little time to look like his old flashy self, but he still looks the part of the mid-range assassin — a role that he has perfected so well.
Booker went for 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds in his return. Not too shabby for a 25-minute outing. The Suns narrowly escaped in Brooklyn, beating the Nets 116-112. Phoenix has now won three straight as they sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. To all the doubters (including myself) that spoke out when the Suns had lost nine of their last 10 in mid-January, where are you now?
Phoenix, which is now at full strength, will begin a postseason charge with its loaded lineup. While the one-seed in the West looks to be out of the question with Denver 8.5 games clear of the Suns, don’t be surprised if this Suns team turns it up in the second half of the year.
It may just be me, but let’s not forget that Phoenix was two wins away from an NBA Championship two seasons ago. The Western Conference does look lethal with Denver and Sacramento looking like absolute wagons this season, but the Suns at full strength should be a problem. The window could be closing in the valley, but it’s not completely shut yet. Here come the Suns.
Other BBNBA notes
- Anthony Davis had a quiet night with 13 points and eight rebounds in the Lakers’ 133-130 loss to the Thunder. Wenyen Gabriel didn’t see the floor in LA’s loss.
- Jamal Murray missed his second game in a row with a lingering knee injury. Murray’s status is unknown for Denver’s Thursday tilt versus Orlando.
BBNBA Stats 2/7/23:
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 133-130 W @ LAL | 30 | 9-17 (1-1) | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 37 | -2 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 102-98 W @ ORL | 22 | 7-15 (4-10) | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 34 | +9 |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 116-112 W @ BKN | 19 | 6-15 (2-8) | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | -3 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 102-98 W @ ORL | 18 | 7-15 (4-9) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | +9 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 133-130 L vs. OKC | 13 | 6-9 (0-0) | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 30 | -4 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 133-130 L vs. OKC | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 146-112 L @ DEN | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 145-112 W vs. MIN | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Pistons (Diallo, Knox II, Noel) @ Cavaliers
7:00: Hornets (Washington Jr., Richards) @ Wizards
7:30 (ESPN): 76ers (Maxey) @ Celtics
7:30: Pacers (Jackson) @ Heat (Herro, Adebayo)
7:30: Spurs (Johnson) @ Raptors
8:00: Kings (Monk, Fox, Lyles) @ Rockets (TyTy Washington)
9:00: Timberwolves (Towns: out) @ Jazz (Vanderbilt: questionable)
10:00 (ESPN): Mavericks @ Clippers (Boston Jr., Wall: out)
10:00: Warriors @ Blazers (Sharpe)
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