BBNBA: Anthony Davis, Devin Booker both drop 30 points in wins

It was a big Saturday night for two of Kentucky’s finest former Wildcats. Both Anthony Davis (LAL) and Devin Booker (PHX) went for 30 points in what were big victories for their respective teams. Davis went for 31 points to help the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers take a 2-1 series lead over the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies while Booker chipped in an even 30 as the No. 4 Phoenix Suns took a commanding 3-1 lead over the injured No. 5 LA Clippers.

For Davis and the Lakers, this one was over the moment Dillon Brooks opened his mouth after Game 2. The Grizzlies guard talked a bunch of trash to LeBron James, calling him “old” and saying he didn’t respect someone until they drop 40 points on him. Even though LeBron finished with *just* 25 points on Saturday, Brook’s words quickly backfired. The Lakers jumped out to a 35-9 lead after the first quarter as Los Angeles made quick work of the Grizz.

Davis’s 31 points were complemented by 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks on an 11-24 shooting clip. Brooks, who received non-stop boos an hour ahead of the opening tip, shot just 3-13 from the field before getting ejected after he landed an (admittedly incidental-looking) punch to LeBron’s groin. Ja Morant still recorded 45 points for the Grizzlies, scoring 22 straight in the fourth quarter, but his effort was too little too late. Game 4 is set for Monday night in LA.

“I didn’t make a statement,” James said postgame about Brooks’ comments. “I’ve been doing this too long. I’m not making any statements. We had the opportunity to come home and play well on our home floor, and we did that. No statement was made. We just wanted to play well, and we got a win. I don’t need to make statements.”

Earlier in the day, Booker and the Suns controlled the Clippers (which was without both stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George due to injury) by a final score of 112-100. Book’s 30 points were aided by nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 41 minutes of action. The former ‘Cat shot 10-21 from the floor and 3-6 from long range.

Leonard missed his second straight game for the Clips with a sprained right knee while George has yet to play in the postseason because of the same injury. The Suns took full advantage, with Kevin Durant dropping in 31 points of his own and Chris Paul adding 12 key points in the fourth quarter. Game 5 will shift back to Phoenix where the Suns will look to finish off the series on Tuesday night.

Tyrese Maxey, Bam Adebayo also pick up big wins

Saturday was just a good day to be a former ‘Cat. Tyrese Maxey (PHI) and Bam Adebayo (MIA) weren’t as productive as the likes of Davis and Booker, but they did more than enough to help lead their teams to big wins.

Maxey finished with 16 points (6-20 FG) and eight rebounds as the No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers closed out a sweep of the No. 6 Brooklyn Nets with a 96-88 Game 4 win. With Joel Embiid sidelined due to a minor injury, the Sixers received a 25-point, 12-rebound performance from Tobias Harris to squeak out the series-clinching victory. In this series, Maxey posted per-game averages of 21.8 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 47.1 percent overall and 50.0 percent from distance. Not bad for a third-year guy.

As for Adebayo, his 12 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists powered the No. 8 Miami Heat to a 121-99 Game 3 win over the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks, which was without its superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a bruised lower back. Jimmy Butler was key for Miami in Giannis’ absence, dropping in 30 points before a sore glute removed him from action in the third quarter. The Heat will take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 on Monday night as injuries continue to tell the story of these two teams.

4/22/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	111-101 W vs. MEM	31	11-24 (1-4)	17	2	2	3	3	12	38
Devin Booker (PHX)	112-100 W @ LAC	30	10-21 (3-6)	9	7	3	0	4	5	41
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	96-88 W @ BKN	16	6-20 (1-4)	8	1	2	0	3	9	39
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	121-99 W vs. MIL	12	4-10	11	5	2	1	3	23	30
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	111-101 W vs. MEM	0	0-1 (0-1)	1	0	2	3	0	0	21
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	111-101 W vs. MEM	0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Tyler Herro (MIA)	121-99 W vs. MIL	DNP-Hand	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	100-112 L vs. PHX	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Today in the NBA

1:00 (ABC): No. 4 Cavaliers @ No. 5 Knicks (Randle, Quickley) [NYK leads 2-1]
3:30 (ABC): No. 3 Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk) @ No. 6 Warriors [SAC leads 2-1]
7:00 (TNT): No. 2 Celtics @ No. 7 Hawks [BOS leads 2-1]
9:30 (TNT): No. 1 Nuggets (Murray) @ No. 8 Timberwolves (Towns) [DEN leads 3-0]