BBNBA: Another 30+ point night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Another day, another 30-point game for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 33 to be exact, this time in a win against the Dallas Mavericks. This marks the third game in a row SGA has eclipsed the 30-point milestone, with the Thunder winning two out of those three. This keeps his season average at 30.9 points per contest.

What is even more impressive with Shai’s recent point explosion is that the majority of his buckets have come inside the arc. Other high-scoring guards do much of their work from the outside, but Gilegous-Alexander is just 1-6 from deep in his last three games. However, he is shooting 30-53 from everywhere else on the floor during that stretch, good for 56.6%.

He is filling up the rest of the stat sheet as well. On Sunday, he recorded five assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. That is his third game in a row with at least one block and one steal, showing he is a force on both sides of the ball.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on his way to being an All-Star this season, and from the looks of things, he is just getting started.

Bam Adebayo put Joe Harris on a poster

Today is a solemn day for Joe Harris. His friends and loved ones are asking for your prayers as he works to recover from the brutal hammer laid down upon him by Bam Adebayo. Early reports show that Harris tore every pride muscle in his body and is looking at a recovery time of four to six weeks before he can feel safe going on social media again.

It was the type of poster every child dreams about. It was a scene that so many kids set up methodically in their basement on their Little Tikes goal, using their little brother as a prop for the person who did not get over quick enough to take the charge.

Bam only had 10 points on the day to go along with his eight rebounds, but two of them more than made up for his off-shooting night, despite the Heat’s one-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Without further ado, I give you a Master Class in posterization:

BAM ADEBAYO POSTER 🤯

📲 https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/4EWeiu27sq

— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2023

Tyler Herro scored 24 points for the Heat, including five made 3s. Herro is expecting the birth of his second child any day now but with one eye on the basketball court and one eye on the hospital, he is still putting up solid numbers in a starting role this year for the Heat.

Tyrese Maxey and PJ Washington lead their teams in scoring

I recently wrote about how Tyrese Maxey looked officially back from his injury after this 26-point outing on Friday, and the game on Sunday furthered this point. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons behind Maxey’s team-high 23 points.

The 76ers, without Joel Embiid, looked for Maxey as their primary scorer, often ahead of James Harden who had a triple-double on the evening himself. It’s actually a good time for Embiid to be out, as it provides extra opportunities for Maxey to regain the momentum he had prior to his injury. When this team is healthy, they will be tough to beat.

For Detroit, this was the first game where all three former Kentucky players saw double-digit minutes on the court. Nerlens Noel, who has spent the majority of the season at the end of the bench, played 13 minutes (his most since November 4th) and scored a season-high six points on a perfect 3-3 from the field. He also snagged four boards.

Hamidou Diallo made the most of his time on the court, scoring 12 points and snatching seven rebounds, while teammate Kevin Knox knocked down a 3 on his way to five points on the night.

Similar to Tyrese Maxey (and Shai Gilegous-Alexander for that matter), PJ Washington led his team in scoring with 22 on Sunday, though the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Indiana Pacers.

The story around Washington this season is his impending restricted free agency when the season ends. A big year could equate to a big payday, whether that is from the Hornets or another franchise, however, he has been consistent in his inconsistency this season. Hopefully, this game is a good momentum-builder going into the second half of the season.

Other BBNBA Notes

• Jarred Vanderbilt scored 12 points, grabbed eight boards, and dished out four assists for the Utah Jazz in their loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Vando plays like a modern-day Andrei Kirilenko, filling up the box score without doing any one thing spectacularly. This is the way.
• John Wall had an off-night for the LA Clippers on Sunday. His team fell to the Atlanta Hawks as the former Kentucky great mustered just five points on 2-8 shooting, though he did hand out five assists.
• NBA Slam Dunk contestant, Shaedon Sharpe, hit a 3-pointer for the Portland Trail Blazers, his only made shot in the team’s defeat to the Toronto Raptors.

1/8/2023 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	120-109 W vs. DAL	33	11-17 (0-1)	5	5	1	2	3	36	+7
Tyler Herro (MIA)	101-102 L vs. BRK	24	8-21 (5-13)	4	2	0	0	1	38	-8
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	123-111 W vs. DET	23	8-18 (2-9)	0	2	1	0	1	33	+19
PJ Washington (CHA)	111-116 L vs. IND	22	8-17 (2-6)	5	3	2	0	2	36	-21
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	111-123 L vs. PHI	12	6-9 (0-0)	7	1	2	0	3	27	+3
Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA)	118-123 L vs. MEM	12	3-6 (0-1)	8	4	0	0	3	24	+1
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	101-102 L vs. BRK	10	5-15 (0-0)	8	2	0	1	0	28	-25
Nerlens Noel (DET)	111-123 L vs. PHI	6	3-3 (0-0)	4	0	1	0	0	13	-11
John Wall (LAC)	108-112 L vs. ATL	5	2-8 (1-3)	2	5	0	1	2	22	-6
Kevin Knox (DET)	111-123 L vs. PHI	3	1-3 (1-2)	2	0	0	0	3	16	-10
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	105-117 L vs. TOR	3	1-3 (1-1)	0	1	0	0	2	14	-17
Devin Booker (PHX)	98-112 L vs. CLE	DNP – Groin
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	108-112 L vs. ATL	DNP – CD
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	116-111 W vs. CHA	DNP – CD
Nick Richards (CHA)	111-116 L vs. IND	DNP – CD
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	104-96 W vs. HOU	DNP – Calf
TyTy Washington (HOU)	96-104 L vs. MIN	DNP

Tonight in the NBA

7:00: Pelicans @ Wizards
7:30 (NBA TV): Bulls @ Celtics
7:30: Bucks @ Knicks (Randle, Quickley)
8:00: Spurs (Johnson) @ Grizzlies
9:00: Lakers (Davis, Gabriel) @ Nuggets (Murray)
10:00: Magic @ Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles)