BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker stay hot, post huge numbers
The Wild, Wild West looks to be the destination for productive nights from NBA ‘Cats. Wednesday night in the Association showcased a duo of guards lighting it up for their respective teams. 30+ point performances from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Devin Booker were in the cards with the Oklahoma City Thunder losing a heartbreaker in double overtime while the Phoenix Suns cruised to a victory.
SGA is the man in Oklahoma City to nobody’s surprise. The Canadian guard, Gilgeous-Alexander, went nuclear dropping a season-high 39 points against Milwaukee. He surely outdid his splendid performance on Monday night where he went for 33 points. He now has seven 30-plus point outings this season. Might be time to start those #SGAallstar tweets.
Despite his efforts, it wasn’t enough for the victory. We need more than four quarters to decide this game. In the first overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander stepped back and drilled a 3-pointer to put the Thunder up one with less than a second to play. Milwaukee tied it up at the line later and would go on to sneak out a dub in OKC.
Devin Booker destroying
We move to Minnesota where ex-teammates Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns faced off. The man in The Valley, Booker, would have the last laugh. He led all scorers (shocker) with 32 points and 10 assists in a 129-117 Phoenix win. Towns had a quiet night for his standards, posting 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Suns sit in second place in the West with an 8-3 record. Although we’re not even at Thanksgiving, this Booker-led squad must feel like it’s “now or never” in hopes of an NBA title with an aging Chris Paul and disgruntled Deandre Ayton.
No love lost in Charlotte
Shaedon Sharpe was being discrete in the corner, until he rapidly cut to the basket. The rest? Depending on your opinions, this clip could cause sadness.
Beloved Nick Richards had a moment that he sure would like to forget. Sharpe cut along the baseline, caught a lob and absolutely threw it down on Richards’ head. This isn’t the first time Sharpe has drawn ooohs and aaahs from highlights as an NBA rookie. His crazy athleticism has been on full display early on in Portland, which might rub some people the wrong way, thinking about what could have been.
The rim-rattling slam was just two of Sharpe’s 17 points on Wednesday night. His 17 points were a career-high which helped Portland win 105-95, moving them to 8-3 and in a tie for second place in the high-flying Western Conference.
On the other hand, Charlotte has now lost six straight. Richards had six points and two rebounds in the losing effort while PJ Washington added 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. If a bad season continues to progress in Charlotte, there surely will be interesting talks concerning Washington’s future. Considering the Hornets failed to extend him this offseason.
Were you expecting this?
The BBNBA players that came off the bench deserve a tremendous amount of praise for their performances on Wednesday night. Isaiah Jackson posted his second double-double of the season for the Indiana Pacers with a 17-point and 10-rebound night. Meanwhile, Sacramento won 127-120 against Cleveland because of Trey Lyles‘ brilliant night with 16 points.
Despite Jackson’s effort, the Pacers lost to the Nuggets 122-119. Jamal Murray’s 18 points and eight rebounds didn’t help the Pacers’ cause, now dropping Indiana below .500 with a 5-6 record.
In Sacramento, the Kentucky Big Three that the franchise acquired all had productive evenings. Lyles outscored both De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk on Wednesday night. If you predicted that, Vegas may be the place for you. Fox dropped 15 points and eight assists while Monk added 14 points off the bench.
Though their 4-6 record may not show it, the Kings and their love for ex-Kentucky players boast an offense that can score, and is a possible soft spot for any NBA followers.
Other BBNBA notes
- Julius Randle led the Knicks in scoring with 24 despite a 112-85 loss to the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets.
- The Battle of LA was the hotspot for two of Kentucky’s most beloved. Anthony Davis posted a cool 21 points and was one rebound short of a double-double for the Lakers. John Wall added 10 points from the bench for the Clippers as they went on to defeat the Lakers 114-101.
- Keldon Johnson‘s 16 points weren’t enough as San Antonio lost 124-122 to Memphis in overtime.
Statistics 11/9/22
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 136-132 L (2OT) vs. MIL | 39 | 13-25 (2-5) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | +3 | 46 |
| Devin Booker (PHO) | 129-117 W @ MIN | 32 | 12-23 (5-7) | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +26 | 38 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 112-85 L @ BKN | 24 | 7-15 (4-8) | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -29 | 31 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 114-101 L @ LAC | 21 | 9-16 (0-1) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -10 | 35 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 122-119 W @ IND | 18 | 6-15 (1-2) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 29 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 105-95 W @ CHA | 17 | 7-10 (1-4) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +30 | 28 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 122-119 L vs. DEN | 17 | 6-7 (0-0) | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +5 | 17 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 124-122 L (OT) vs. MEM | 16 | 4-15 (2-8) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -13 | 39 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 127-120 W vs. CLE | 16 | 5-9 (4-7) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 18 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 127-120 W vs. CLE | 15 | 6-14 (1-4) | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 28 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 127-120 W vs. CLE | 14 | 4-9 (3-5) | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +5 | 27 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 129-117 L vs. PHO | 11 | 3-7 (1-3) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +4 | 27 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 105-95 L vs. POR | 10 | 3-12 (1-6) | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +9 | 32 |
| John Wall (LAC) | 114-101 W vs. LAL | 10 | 3-10 (1-5) | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +9 | 23 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA) | 125-119 W @ ATL | 6 | 3-4 (0-1) | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 28 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 105-95 L vs. POR | 6 | 2-3 (0-0) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -9 | 14 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 114-101 L @ LAC | 4 | 1-1 (0-0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -4 | 8 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 128-112 L @ BOS | 4 | 2-8 (0-1) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 14 |
| Nerlens Noel (DET) | 128-112 L @ BOS | 3 | 1-2 (0-0) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 112-85 L @ BKN | 2 | 1-8 (0-6) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -17 | 19 |
| Kevin Knox (DET) | 128-112 L @ BOS | 0 | 0-1 (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +8 | 5 |
| Olivier Sarr (POR) | 105-95 W @ CHA | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 114-101 W vs. LAL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — |
| TyTy Washington (HOU) | 116-109 L @ TOR | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Mavericks @ Wizards
7:30 (NBA TV): 76ers (Maxey) at Hawks
7:30: Hornets (Richards, Washington) at Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
8:00: Trail Blazers (Sarr: out, Sharpe) at Pelicans
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