BBNBA: Shai Gilegous-Alexander bests Devin Booker in epic shootout
At the same time the Big Blue Nation was having its collective hearts torn out on CBS, former ‘Cats Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were busy trying to rip each others’ hearts out in OKC.
Booker scored 46 points, marking the fourth time this season he has eclipsed the 45-point mark. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player to reach that milestone more often this year.
Unfortunately for Book and the Phoenix Suns, Gilgeous-Alexander led a massive fourth-quarter comeback to secure the win for the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 40 of his own in the process. More impressively, SGA hit the 40 mark without shooting a single 3-pointer.
The game likely meant more for the Thunder, which is battling to maintain its hold in the play-in spot of the playoffs, however, it was one Phoenix could have used to regain some momentum. The Suns have lost four of its last five games and have really struggled without Kevin Durant in the lineup.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, famous for his cameo in the Jacob Toppin AT&T commercial, has averaged more points than any other NBA Player since the All-Star break at 35.6 per contest. He is playing on a different level right now.
Tyler Herro comes up clutch in Heat’s comeback win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t the only former Kentucky player to lead his team to a comeback victory on Sunday. Tyler Herro scored 12 of his 19 points in the 4th quarter on Sunday to help propel the Heat past the Detroit Pistons, 112-110.
After the game, head coach Eric Spoelstra said of Herro, “He has the clutch gene…it doesn’t matter what is happening during the course of the game, he is a killer down the stretch.”
The stats back up Spoelstra’s praise. During the clutch this season, Herro has made an NBA-high 19 3-pointers on 38.8 percent shooting, is an NBA-best +87 in the +/- category, and is 46.3% from the field. His old college team could have used some of the ice in his veins on Sunday.
Not to be completely overshadowed, Bam Adebayo had a good game as well. The All-Star center notched a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while also dishing out five assists and blocking three shots.
Herro had some fun with Bam in a postgame on-court interview, walking right in front of the camera, at first on accident and then several times on purpose. Bam’s reaction was great.
Keldon Johnson drops 29 points in yet another win
This is the point of the article where Keldon Johnson sticks his head out from around the corner and says, “Did someone say ‘comeback win’?”
While Shai Gilgous-Alexander and Tyler Herro helped propel their teams to 4th-quarter wins, Johnson and the Spurs overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 126-118. Johnson scored a team-high 29 points and brought down a team-high 12 rebounds along the way.
It’s been a rough year for the Spurs, as most analysts predicted, but Johnson has done what he could to make things interesting. He is averaging a career-best 21.8 points per game serving as the team’s leader and is primed to continue to elevate his game if the ping-pong balls bounce in favor of San Antonio in the offseason, and land them with the top pick, Victor Wembanyama.
Until then, he’ll just keep doing what he does.
Other BBNBA Notes
- It was the Austin Reaves show in Los Angeles as the Lakers beat the Magic 111-105. Anthony Davis had his standard double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Jarred Vanderbilt scored just two points while grabbing 10 boards. Meanwhile, Wenyen Gabriel chipped in six points, eight rebounds, and an impressive team-high +25 in the +/- category.
- Jamal Murray might be the most overlooked great player out there this season despite the Denver Nuggets being the first-place team in the West. On Sunday, the Blue Arrow scored 25 points, including a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc, and dished out eight assists as the Nuggets beat the Nets (behind yet another Nikola Jokic triple-double). There are sexier teams out there, but the Nuggets just keep winning.
- Shaedon Sharpe played a game in Portland, Oregon last night, which is notably on the opposite side of the country from Greensboro, North Carolina. He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting. Good for him.
Statistics for 3/19/2023
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 120-124 L vs. OKC | 46 | 18-28 (3-7) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 36 | -5 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 124-120 W vs. PHX | 40 | 12-24 (0-0) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 35 | +10 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 126-118 W vs. ATL | 29 | 13-21 (2-3) | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 33 | +14 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 108-102 W vs. BRK | 25 | 9-19 (4-4) | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 37 | +8 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 112-110 W vs. DET | 22 | 7-12 (0-0) | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 39 | +12 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 112-110 W vs. DET | 19 | 7-17 (3-9) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34 | +13 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 111-105 W vs. ORL | 15 | 6-15 (0-0) | 11 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 34 | -3 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 102-117 L vs. LAC | 10 | 4-6 (2-4) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 111-105 W vs. ORL | 6 | 2-3 (0-0) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | +25 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 111-105 W vs. ORL | 2 | 1-1 (0-0) | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 23 | -12 |
| Kevin Knox (POR) | 102-117 L vs. LAC | DNP-CD | ||||||||
| Olivier Sarr (OKC) | 124-120 W vs. PHX | DNP-CD | ||||||||
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 110-112 L vs. MIA | DNP-Ankle | ||||||||
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 117-102 W vs. POR | DNP | ||||||||
| TyTy Washington (HOU) | 107-117 L vs. NOP | DNP |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Pacers (Jackson) @ Hornets (PJ Washington, Richards)
7:00: Bulls @ 76ers (Maxey)
7:30: Timberwolves (Towns: out) @ Knicks (Randle, Quickley)
8:00: Warriors @ Rockets (TyTy Washington)
8:00: (NBA TV) Mavericks @ Grizzlies
9:00: Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles: questionable) @ Jazz
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