BBNBA: Tyrese Maxey goes off for 50 points in 76ers win
13 former Kentucky Wildcats played in the NBA on Sunday and 11 of them scored at least 16 points. That is an impressive showing for a single university’s alumni, but it was all capped off with the school’s valedictorian of the day, Tyrese Maxey, who dropped a 50-burger for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Yep, 50. Maxey also had seven rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, which was two more than MVP teammate Joel Embiid.
Maxey made 20 of his 32 field goal attempts (62.5 percent), including 2-5 from deep en route to a career-high half-century mark. He was sitting at 47 with just over one minute left to play, but knowing there was a milestone to reach, he hit a step-back 3-pointer from 32 feet away just because he could. The Sixers ultimately defeated the Indiana Pacers 137-126.
The former 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft is making the 20 teams who passed up on him seriously regret that choice. He is on his way to his first All-Star bid and quite possibly All-NBA status. They also may as well engrave his name on the Most Improved Player trophy now.
Maxey is good.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is pretty good too
If you were to pass KSR’s Zack Geoghegan on the street, you would probably hear him mumbling to himself about how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to win the NBA MVP this season. SGA gave Zack more ammunition for his cause on Sunday when he scored 35 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns.
Down much of the game, the Thunder outscored Phoenix 31-13 in the 4th quarter to pull away with a 111-99 victory. Gilgeous-Alexander added seven rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block. He also hit a nasty step-back 3 over Bradley Beal in the closing minutes to put the game away.
Shai is averaging 29.4 points per game this season and has the Thunder at 6-4. Zack may have something going with all this MVP talk.
Anthony Davis carries Lakers to win without LeBron
It must be tough to score 30 points, rip down 13 rebounds, dish out six assists, block three shots, and still be the third person mentioned in a former Kentucky basketball player summary article, but this is the plight of Anthony Davis.
Overshadowed by Maxey and Gilgeous-Alexander, Davis had a great game in his own right, leading the LeBron-less Los Angeles Lakers to a win over the Portland Trail Blazers 116-110 in the Sunday nightcap.
Davis looks to be back in peak form this season, healthy and playing strong. He leads the league in blocks at three per game, hinting at the dominance he exuded when he helped Kentucky win its 8th national championship in 2012.
Keep at it, AD.
Other BBNBA Notes:
- Bam Adebayo notched a double-double on the second night of a back-to-back, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Heat’s win over the Spurs. The versatile big man also had six assists.
- Keldon Johnson had a double-double of his own on Sunday against the Heat. Johnson dropped 20 points and secured 12 boards in the Spurs loss. Despite the solid box score, San Antonio fans were a little frustrated with Johnson forcing the action in the 4th quarter and limiting Victor Wembanyama to zero shots in the final nine minutes.
- Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley combined for 40 points (23 and 17 respectively) to help the New York Knicks defeat the Charlotte Hornets.
- Kevin Knox is back with his old team, the Detroit Pistons, after the Blazers waived him. He came off the bench on Sunday and led Detroit in scoring with 18.
- Shaedon Sharpe played 42 minutes for Portland on Sunday and scored 19 points, though he did have seven turnovers. Sharpe is currently leading the league with 39.4 minutes per game. If that number were to hold, it would be the highest of any NBA player since 2010-11.
BBNBA Statistics for 11/12/2023
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 137-126 W vs. IND | 50 | 20-32 (7-11) | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +17 | 39 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 111-99 W vs. PHX | 35 | 13-22 (2-5) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +7 | 37 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 116-110 W vs. POR | 30 | 10-20 (0-1) | 13 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +15 | 41 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 118-113 W vs. SAS | 24 | 10-20 (0-0) | 11 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -10 | 34 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 129-107 W vs. CHA | 23 | 8-16 (1-4) | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | +8 | 27 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 116-110 W vs. GSW | 21 | 8-14 (2-3) | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +11 | 37 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 113-118 L vs. MIA | 20 | 8-18 (3-10) | 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +7 | 37 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 110-116 L vs. LAL | 19 | 7-15 (3-6) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -8 | 42 |
| Kevin Knox (DET) | 108-119 L vs. CHI | 18 | 7-8 (4-5) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 24 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 129-107 W vs. CHA | 17 | 5-9 (4-6) | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +22 | 26 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 107-129 L vs. NYK | 16 | 7-9 (0-0) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 22 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 107-129 L vs. NYK | 4 | 1-8 (1-5) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -30 | 22 |
| Cason Wallace (OKC) | 111-99 W vs. PHX | 0 | 0-1 (0-0) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 17 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 104-107 L vs. HOU | DNP-Hamstring | ||||||||
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 126-137 L vs. PHI | DNP-CD | ||||||||
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 99-111 L vs. OKC | DNP-Calf | ||||||||
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 116-110 W vs. POR | DNP-Ankle | ||||||||
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 118-113 W vs. SAS | DNP-Ankle |
Tonight in the NBA
7:30 (NBA TV): Knicks (Randle, Quickley) @ Celtics
7:30: Wizards @ Raptors
8:00: Bulls @ Bucks (Livingston, T. Washington: G-League)
10:00: Cavaliers @ Kings (Monk, Fox: out, Lyles: out)
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