BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Davis celebrate UL win with 31-point games

During their brief time at Kentucky, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Davis went a combined 3-0 against the Louisville Cardinals. In the spirit of watching UK beat up on Louisville once again — which they did Thursday night to the tune of a 95-76 victory at the Yum! Center — the former Wildcats decided to put on a show in the NBA.

Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Davis finished with 31 points for their respective teams. Only SGA came away with the win though, as his Oklahoma City Thunder (18-8) smacked the Los Angeles Clippers (17-11), 134-115. OKC actually trailed by one during the third quarter before rattling off a 13-0 run that extended the lead to double-digits. It would remain that way the rest of the night as the Thunder ended the Clippers’ nine-game winning streak.

Gilgeous-Alexander reached his 31 points on 11-25 shooting (1-6 3PT) and an 8-9 mark from the free throw line. He also chipped in eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks in 32 minutes of action. His OKC teammate and fellow former ‘Cat, Cason Wallace, contributed two points and three assists in 20 minutes.

As for Davis, his 31 points were not enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers (15-14) past Karl-Anthony Towns and the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves (21-6). The Lakers, which lost its fourth straight, were without LeBron James, who sat out the second night of a back-to-back. Davis added eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks to his stat line on 11-20 shooting in 38 minutes. Jarred Vanderbilt failed to score for the Lakers, but he did grab five rebounds in 14 minutes.

On the flip side, Towns posted 21 points (7-17 FG), six rebounds, and four assists in the win for Minnesota. The seven-footer actually limped back to the locker room with roughly five minutes left in the game with what appeared to be a lower leg injury. He did not return.

Other BBNBA notes

• Keldon Johnson registered 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists on 5-13 shooting in 32 minutes during the San Antonio Spurs’ 114-95 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs fell to 4-23 on the season — by far the worst record in the Western Conference.
• Brandon Boston Jr. played in just this third game of the season in the Clippers’ loss to OKC. He’s actually now played in three of Los Angeles’ last four games. On Thursday night, he dropped a season-high seven points on 3-10 shooting in addition to one rebound, one assist, and one steal.

12/21/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	134-115 W vs. LAC	31	11-25 (1-6)	8	4	4	2	1	9	32
Anthony Davis (LAL)	118-111 L @ MIN	31	11-20 (1-1)	8	4	0	3	1	3	38
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	118-111 W vs. LAL	21	7-17 (2-6)	6	4	1	0	0	12	33
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	114-95 L @ CHI	11	5-13 (0-2)	6	2	0	0	3	-10	32
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	115-134 L @ LAC	7	3-10 (1-5)	1	1	1	0	0	-4	16
Cason Wallace (OKC)	134-115 W vs. LAC	2	1-4 (0-2)	0	3	0	1	1	-5	20
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	116-103 L @ MEM	2	1-2	3	0	0	1	0	-11	12
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	118-111 L @ MIN	0	0-3 (0-1)	5	0	0	0	0	1	14
Chris Livingston (MIL)	118-114 W vs. ORL	DNP-G League	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
TyTy Washington (MIL)	118-114 W vs. ORL	DNP-G League	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oscar Tshiebwe (IND)	116-103 L @ MEM	DNP-G League	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Johnny Juzang (UTA)	119-111 W @ DET	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kevin Knox (DET)	111-119 L vs. UTA	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Olivier Sarr (OKC)	134-115 W vs. LAC	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	118-117 L vs. WAS	DNP-Adductor	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

• 7:00 | Raptors @ 76ers (Maxey)
• 7:30 (NBA TV) | Nuggets (Murray) @ Nets
• 8:00 | Mavericks @ Rockets
• 8:00 | Hawks @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
• 10:00 | Suns (Booker) @ Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk: questionable)
• 10:00 (ESPN) | Wizards @ Warriors