BBNBA: Tyrese Maxey continues to shine in new role for Philly
Remember when people on the internet were trying to trade Tyrese Maxey for James Harden? Well, hindsight isn’t always 20/20, as the former Kentucky point guard looks even better than before in his new role.
Maxey goes for 33 against the Cavaliers
Nobody in the BBN is remotely shocked to see what Maxey is doing right now. We all saw this at Rupp, we should’ve seen it in March of 2020 and the world is now seeing it. We didn’t know he would mesh this quickly with someone so notoriously known for iso-ball, but alas.
The former Kentucky star is on an absolute tear right now since the Harden trade went down. In the few games since the addition, Maxey has sparked up to over 26 points per game while shooting absurd numbers from the floor. Last night, he finished with a 10-15 mark from the field with a 5-6 line from deep.
Maxey’s 33 in the win over Cleveland is more than just a young star breaking out on the national scene. His production and efficiency, while situated next to two of the best in the league, is going to be incredibly vital for Philly as the playoffs start coming. The NBA may have their new big three, and of course, it contains another Cat.
Boogie turning back the clock in Denver
Huh, maybe the Nuggets should just start DeMarcus Cousins all the time. With Nikola Jokic out due to injury, Cousins got the nod for his first start in nearly four years. And well, it was awesome.
Cousins finished with 31 points and nine rebounds while shooting 10-14 on the night. He also had a 3-4 mark from behind the arc. The wildest part? He did this in only 24 minutes of game time. Boogie was a menace up and down the court all night for the time he was in there.
More satisfying than seeing Cousins ball out is seeing everyone wanting Cousins to ball out. It’s been a road to redemption that has taken years and surely taken a toll on Cousins, both physically and mentally. He seems to be in a place that works for him now. He’s a beloved figure on a team fighting for championship aspirations. And hey, he can still drop 30 for you if you really need it.
Randle ejected, Knicks implode against Phoenix
It’s turned into full-on tank season in New York. Are they purposely tanking in order to get a better draft pick? Heavens, no. Tom Thibodeau and the rest of the Knickerbockers just simply refuse to win games. Friday night was no different when they blew a double-digit lead against the Suns B team.
Julius Randle was cooking for the Knicks before the above ejection. He had 25 points on 18 shots while also grabbing seven boards. It was all going so smoothly. That was until Cam Johnson *checks notes* went to box out for a rebound. Huh?
I’m sure there were some friendly words and plans exchanged between the two that caused Julius to fully snap. Still though, the play itself is innocuous enough to where it shouldn’t warrant what the forward did. After that, everything imploded. The Knicks gave up their lead on national TV and got to watch another young athlete break out against them.
It’s torturous they’re having a Knicks fan write about this debacle today. So, with that being said, you can enjoy watching the heart of every New Yorker be ripped out last night for the -nth time. Because I sure won’t.
Statistics
| Player | Result | Points | FG(3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 125-119 W vs. CLE | 33 | 10-15 (5-6) | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 38 | -3 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 138-101 L vs. MIN | 33 | 12-21 (1-3) | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 30 | -13 |
| DeMarcus Cousins (DEN) | 116-101 W vs. HOU | 31 | 10-14 (3-4) | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 10 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 114-115 L @ PHX | 25 | 9-18 (1-2) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 8 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 138-101 W @ OKC | 20 | 7-12 (1-3) | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 0 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 115-114 L @ PHX | 13 | 4-8 (3-5) | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | -2 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 111-106 L @ DET | 12 | 4-10 (0-1) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 27 | -7 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 111-106 W vs. IND | 5 | 2-5 (0-1) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -5 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 138-101 W vs. OKC | 4 | 2-4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 115-114 L @ PHX | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 117-114 W @ WAS | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 115-114 W vs. NYK | DNP – Health and Safety | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rajon Rondo (CLE) | 125-119 L @ PHI | DNP – Toe | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
5:00 p.m. Kings (Fox) @ Mavericks
7:00 p.m. Spurs (Johnson) @ Hornets (Richards, Washington)
8:00 p.m. 76ers (Maxey) @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
8:00 p.m. Magic @ Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. Trail Blazers (Bledsoe) @ Timberwolves (Towns, Vanderbilt)
8:30 p.m. (ABC) Warriors @ Lakers (Davis, Monk)
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