BBNBA: Three 'Cats top 30, Fox & Monk duel in L.A.
Need a break from the current ‘Cats and their problems? Fear not, there’s plenty of compelling action to be found in the world of ex-‘Cats. Three different players topped 30 in the scoring column Tuesday, highlighted by a late-night clash between two former teammates. Let’s get right to it.
Monk, Lakers push past Fox’s 30 for third straight win
It wasn’t that long ago that De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk were tag-teaming UCLA for 60 points in the Sweet 16. Now five years deep in their respective NBA careers, the two players have carved out lasting roles for themselves in the league. Last night, they met for the third time as Western Conference rivals — and each enjoyed one of their best games of the season.
Fox led Sacramento with 30 points on the night, helping them build a fourth-quarter lead that ultimately wouldn’t be enough. Led by LeBron James’ 31, the Lakeshow pulled away late for a 122-114 victory, their third in as many games. When you see this, it’s too late:
Still, the Lakers probably wouldn’t have gotten to that point without Monk’s heroics. The first-year Californian scored 11 of his 24 in the final period, including 3-3 shooting from downtown. He had the whole Kings team on skates on one occasion:
Monk’s most decisive contribution came around the three-minute mark when he made a floater and a three on back-to-back possessions to give the Lakers a lead that they would not relinquish.
Monk has been a major factor in L.A.’s recent winning ways, as he’s averaged just over 20 points per contest in six games since returning from COVID-19 protocols. His emergence as a serious scoring threat since being traded from Charlotte has inspired more than a few jokes on NBA Twitter:
For Fox, it was yet another excellent performance wasted in a losing effort. The Kings are reportedly open to trading him this year, and frankly, it’s about time.
Booker, Suns use late run to fend off Pelicans
Things had been looking a little tenuous for the Suns, as they dropped three of four starting with the Christmas Day loss to the Warriors. But after winning two games in three days, Phoenix (29-8) is right back within half a game of Golden State for the best record in the league.
Their latest victory came in the form of a 123-110 lashing of the Pelicans behind 33 points from Devin Booker. Though the Suns led comfortably for most of the night, a third-quarter run pulled Devonte’ Graham and the Pels back within five; it was then that Booker & co. turned up the heat from outside, burying the home team with a barrage of threes.
Booker continues to make a strong case for his third All-Star selection, averaging 29.4 PPG with 16 made threes over his last five games. You can still vote for him here.
Randle returns, muscles Knicks by Pacers
With so many NBA stars missing time recently due to health and safety protocols, a little rust upon returning has become expected. Julius Randle looked those expectations right in the face last night and told them to shove it.
The 27-year-old hooper returned to the court on Tuesday after missing New York’s last two games — both losses — and promptly dropped 30 and 16 on the heads of an Eastern Conference rival. Behind Randle and R.J. Barrett’s 32, the Knicks cruised to a 104-94 win over the Pacers.
Randle looked in control from start to finish, putting aside any doubts of his game-readiness from the get-go.
Joining Julius in double-figures was Immanuel Quickley, who chipped in 11 points despite shooting just 3-10 from the field. Nerlens Noel remained inactive, as did Isaiah Jackson for the Pacers.
It was a big win for the Knicks, as they pulled back within half a game of Boston for the ninth spot in the East. Back-to-back matchups with the Celtics are looming this week, giving New York a chance to leapfrog them in the standings.
League News
- Karl-Anthony Towns is set to make his return tonight from a painful week-long COVID moratorium. He gets a date with SGA and the Thunder.
- Rajon Rondo should make his Cleveland Cavaliers debut on Friday, marking the ninth jersey he’s worn in his 16-year NBA career. He’ll join the fold in a mentorship role for one of the league’s best stories so far this season.
- While his fellow Pistons are ailing, Hamidou Diallo is on a scoring rampage. Is it time we started taking him seriously?
Here are the full stats from Tuesday’s games:
| Player | Result | Points | FG(3P) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 114-109 W @ PHI | 35 | 11-23 (3-8) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | +13 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 134-114 L vs. MIN | 29 | 11-22 (4-6) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 35 | -17 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 132-115 L @ DEN | 28 | 11-22 (3-8) | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 34 | -8 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 134-114 W @ SAC | 25 | 10-14 (2-3) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 28 | +13 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 131-116 L vs. MIL | 22 | 8-10 (0-0) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 37 | -8 |
| Malik Monk (LAL) | 131-116 L vs. MIL | 20 | 7-16 (3-10) | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 | -6 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 116-86 L @ DAL | 18 | 6-14 (1-4) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | -3 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 114-109 L vs. PHX | 14 | 5-16 (0-4) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 34 | -1 |
| Trey Lyles (DET) | 116-86 L @ DAL | 12 | 5-8 (0-2) | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | -19 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 134-114 W @ SAC | 9 | 4-7 (0-0) | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | -1 |
| Enes Freedom (BOS) | 126-91 W @ BKN | 7 | 3-6 (1-1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | +9 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 132-115 L @ DEN | 5 | 2-9 (0-5) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | -11 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 135-109 L @ MEM | 4 | 2-6 (0-2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | +4 |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 133-112 W vs. IND | 2 | 1-3 (0-1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -5 |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 132-115 L @ DEN | DNP – Knee | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 132-115 W vs. NYK | DNP – ACL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 133-112 L @ ATL | DNP – Ankle | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eric Bledsoe (POR) | 113-95 L vs. ORL | DNP – Achilles | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| John Wall (HOU) | 110-97 L @ NOP | DNP – Personal | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Today in the NBA:
7:00 – Pistons (Diallo, Lyles) @ Hornets (Washington, Richards)
7:00 – 76ers (Maxey) @ Magic (Mulder)
7:00 – Rockets (Wall*) @ Wizards
7:30 – Spurs (Johnson) @ Celtics (Freedom)
7:30 – Nets @ Pacers (Jackson*)
7:30 (ESPN) – Warriors @ Mavericks (WCS*, Knight*)
8:00 – Raptors @ Bucks (Cousins)
8:00 – Thunder (SGA, Sarr) @ Timberwolves (KAT, Vanderbilt)
10:00 (ESPN) – Jazz @ Nuggets (Murray*)
10:00 – Heat (Herro, Adebayo*) @ Trail Blazers
10:00 – Hawks @ Kings (Fox)
* – inactive
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