BBNBA: Tyrese Maxey continues heater, leads Philly to tight win
The man of the hour is finding his groove again, which should be a shock to none. Enter, Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey dropped 27 points on Wednesday night giving the 76ers a 137-133 win over the Nets. A 6-for-9 three-point shooting night came from the bench, making Maxey’s night even more impressive. The former Wildcat was money when it mattered the most, swishing a trey-ball that put Philly up seven with less than two minutes to play. It’s possible that head coach Doc Rivers is using the reserve role to ease Maxey back into the rotation after a November foot injury kept him out for multiple weeks.
Rivers may be forced to start Maxey as he continues to impress since his return from injury. He led Philadelphia in scoring against Brooklyn. Not to mention Maxey went off for 32 points against Sacramento a couple of nights ago.
Maxey is averaging 21.1 PPG this season while competing alongside a pair of prolific scorers, Joel Embiid and James Harden. The young buck of the “Philly Big 3” continues to showcase why he deserves a part in a hallowed trio. If not for the foot injury, which kept him sidelined for over a month, there may have been a conversation for Maxey as an All-Star. Head up kid, you’ve got a long and bright career ahead of you.
Who else but SGA?
Perhaps BBNBA’s best player all year long has been Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. He did it again on Wednesday night, this time torching Atlanta for 36 points. The Thunder went on to lose 137-132 on their homecourt. Like Maxey, Gilgeous-Alexander has been firing on all cylinders recently.
That’s been SGA all year though.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s groove takes us back to Friday night when he gave Sacramento 37 points and then two nights later, blessed Denver with a 34-point outing. Fast forward to Wednesday and the good times just kept on rolling for SGA. He shot 13-22 from the field in the loss as OKC moved to 23-25 on the year.
The Thunder are a half-game back from the Play-In and 1.5 games back from a secure playoff spot. If something magical happens down the stretch and OKC is locked into a first-round playoff series, give SGA the key to the city.
Gilgeous-Alexander will likely (knock on wood) be an All-Star when the teams are revealed. In the latest fan returns, SGA was fourth in voting out of guards in the Western Conference. He’s within striking distance of Ja Morant to overtake the third spot. BBN might have a job to do: give their guy more votes.
SGA is one of six NBA superstars averaging 30+ PPG. The names on that list: Luka Doncic, Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard. Gilgeous-Alexander SHOULD be an All-Star starter. However, the NBA seems to love having their big names out there. If Stephen Curry starts over SGA, we riot. If they start together in the Western Conference backcourt, we owe Commissioner Adam Silver an apology. Maybe even purchase NBA League Pass. Give SGA his rightful start!
Impressive return for The Brow
It’s no secret that BBNBA has been hurt by injuries this year, but slowly and surely the ex-Wildcats are coming back to the floor. It was quite the showing for Anthony Davis on Wednesday, who made his return from a foot injury that has kept him out for more than five weeks. Davis, who was crushing it before his absence, didn’t look like he missed a beat while sidelined.
In his return, AD posted a double-double, boosting the Lakers to a 113-104 win over the Spurs. Davis’ 21-point and 12-rebound night came in only 26 minutes of action. Back like he never left, Davis shot 7-15 from the field and even cashed in a deep one from three-point land. What a sign this could be for the Lakers who have struggled to find their form all year long.
Davis was putting up impressive numbers before being sidelined and his outing last night shows exactly what he can give the Purple and Gold. A secondary scorer behind LeBron James and a primary rebounder is exactly what the 8x All-Star brings to the table.
AD is now averaging 27.2 PPG and 12.1 RPG this season. He was third in frontcourt voting out of Western Conference players. Davis definitely deserves to be an All-Star and while “superstar recognition” could be a hindrance to Gilgeous-Alexander’s chances to be an All-Star starter, it could very well help Davis.
On the losing side of the BBNBA was Keldon Johnson, who led San Antonio in scoring in the loss. Johnson went for 25 points and five rebounds. While the Spurs look to be tanking faster than a dumbbell in the ocean, Johnson continues to be a bright spot for the organization. He’s averaging over 20 PPG as San Antonio sits at 14-34 on the year.
Other BBNBA Notes
- De’Aaron Fox went for 16 points in Sacramento’s 113-95 loss at home to Toronto. Trey Lyles added six points and Malik Monk had seven for the Kings as well.
- Isaiah Jackson posted six points off the bench for the Pacers as they fell 126-120 in Orlando. Jackson continues to be given a minimal role off the bench.
- A BBNBA showdown in Portland saw Jarred Vanderbilt and Shaedon Sharpe face off. Vanderbilt had 12 points while Sharpe added five points in Portland’s 134-124 win over Utah.
BBNBA Statistics 1/25/23
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 137-132 L vs. ATL | 36 | 13-22 (1-1) | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 36 | +9 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 137-133 W vs. BKN | 27 | 8-14 (6-9) | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | -6 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 113-104 L @ LAL | 25 | 9-20 (3-6) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33 | -10 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 113-104 W vs. SAS | 21 | 7-15 (1-3) | 12 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 26 | +8 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 113-95 L vs. TOR | 16 | 7-12 (1-2) | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 30 | -30 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA) | 134-124 L @ POR | 12 | 5-9 (2-4) | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 25 | +5 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 113-95 L vs. TOR | 7 | 2-7 (1-3) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | -6 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 113-95 L vs. TOR | 6 | 1-5 (0-3) | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | -14 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 126-120 L @ ORL | 6 | 3-4 (0-0) | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 | -8 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 134-124 W vs. UTA | 5 | 2-3 (1-1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | +1 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 113-104 W vs. SAS | 0 | 0-0 (0-0) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 107-99 L @ MIL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 111-102 W @ NOP | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU) | 108-103 L vs. WSH | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:30 (TNT): Knicks (Randle, Quickley) @ Celtics
7:30: Pistons (Noel, Diallo, Knox II) @ Nets
7:30: Bulls @ Hornets (PJ Washington, Richards)
8:00: Cavaliers @ Rockets (TyTy Washington)
10:00 (TNT): Mavericks @ Suns (Booker)
10:30: Spurs (Johnson) @ Clippers (Wall, Boston Jr.)
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