BBNBA: Anthony Davis has hope in Pope, Brandon Boston Jr. continues to ball out
It was a very busy Friday night across the Association. 13 games made up the slate with 17 former Kentucky Wildcats taking the floor. 11 of them reached double-figures, nine scored more than 20 points, and three surpassed the 30-point mark. From the superstars to the bench players, there were contributions from top to bottom.
We’ll start with our trio of 30-point scorers. Karl-Anthony Towns led the BBNBA last night with 32 points on 12-20 shooting (4-8 from deep) in the Timberwolves 116-94 win over the struggling Bucks. Towns hauled in 11 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double to go along with five assists in 32 minutes.
Out west, De’Aaron Fox and Anthony Davis both dropped 31 points for the Kings and Lakers, respectively. Fox’s 31 came on 12-20 shooting but with seven turnovers to his stat line in a 107-98 loss to the Clippers. Davis’ 31 resulted in a win as the Lakers beat the injured 76ers (who were once again without Tyrese Maxey) by a final score of 116-106. Davis shot 11-20 from the floor (2-3 from deep) while adding nine rebounds and four blocks in the win.
After the Lakers’ win on ESPN, Davis spoke with anchor Michael Eaves (a UK alum) and asked him about Kentucky’s new head Mark Pope.
“They looking really good,” Davis said of the new-look Wildcats. “Obviously it was tough for me to see (John Calipari) leave but it was just time. He felt like it was his time to move on. I’m loving the coach, I’m loving the team. Hopefully, we can get banner number nine this year.“
Welcome to the show, Brandon Boston Jr.
Still only 22 years old in his fourth NBA season, Brandon Boston Jr. is beginning to hit his stride. The 6-foot-6 guard has been balling out for the Pelicans over the last five games, including as a starter over the previous three. Last night, he went for a season-high 26 points on 10-17 shooting (2-4 3PT) with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. It came in a 115-88 loss to the Magic, but Boston is taking full advantage of the injuries around him.
Check out Boston’s per-game averages across his last five outings: 17.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 33.3 minutes. Even more impressive? He’s hitting the 50/40/90 mark during that span: 53.2 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from deep, and 92.9 percent from the free throw line.
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Boston has been legitimately good for the Pelicans. If the team’s injuries continue and a tank is ultimately invoked, look for even more minutes to come his way. He certainly deserves them.
Murray, SGA shine in wins
Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Nuggets and Thunder, respectively, to big wins.
We’ll start in Denver, where Murray went for 28 points, four rebounds, and six assists in a 135-122 win over Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and the rest of the Heat. Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double alongside Murray as the Nuggets led from start to finish. Murray, who sat out the previous three games due to concussion protocol, went 4-10 from long range, making his 1,000th career three-pointer in the process — the first player to do so in franchise history.
On the losing side, Adebayo and Herro were still productive. Adebayo posted 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists while Herro went for 24 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds — his first double-double of the season. The Heat lost Jimmy Butler just a few minutes into the game due to injury.
As for Gilgeous-Alexander, he was excellent once again. Last year’s MVP runner-up recorded 29 points, five rebounds, and four assists in just 29 minutes. The Thunder had no trouble taking down Reed Sheppard and the Houston Rockets, 126-107. SGA made 10 of his first 11 field goals in the blowout victory. Cason Wallace, who started the game, finished with four points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of action. In the loss, Sheppard saw 18 minutes, turning that into four points, four assists, and two rebounds.
Other BBNBA notes
- Rob Dillingham played some garbage minutes in the Timberwolves’ 127-102 win over Shaedon Sharpe and the Trail Blazers. But he made the most of it, finishing with seven points on 3-3 shooting (1-1 from deep), three rebounds, and two assists in just five minutes down the stretch. Julius Randle chipped in 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists for the Wolves. Sharpe went for six points on 2-8 shooting in the Blazers’ loss.
- In a thrilling 114-113 win over the Mavericks, Suns’ guard Devin Booker dropped a 13-point, 12-assist double-double, his first of the season. It marked Phoenix’s seventh straight win. Booker also grabbed six rebounds. PJ Washington did not play for Dallas due to a knee injury.
- Alongside Fox in Sacramento, Malik Monk recorded 17 points in 31 minutes. Unfortunately, the third Kentucky King, Trey Lyles, failed to score in his six minutes.
11/8/24 statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK) | 116-94 W vs. MIL | 32 | 12-20 (4-8) | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 32 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 107-98 L vs. LAC | 31 | 12-20 (2-5) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 31 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 116-106 W vs. PHI | 31 | 11-20 (2-3) | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 35 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 126-107 W vs. HOU | 29 | 11-16 (1-2) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 29 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 135-122 W vs. MIA | 28 | 9-17 (4-10) | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 35 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP) | 115-88 L @ ORL | 26 | 10-17 (2-4) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -19 | 38 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 135-122 L @ DEN | 24 | 10-21 (4-10) | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 40 |
| Julius Randle (MIN) | 127-102 W vs. POR | 22 | 8-18 (3-6) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 32 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 135-122 L @ DEN | 20 | 7-18 (1-5) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -9 | 38 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 107-98 L vs. LAC | 17 | 6-13 (0-3) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 31 |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 114-113 W @ DAL | 13 | 5-13 (1-8) | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -17 | 34 |
| Rob Dillingham (MIN) | 127-102 W vs. POR | 7 | 3-3 (1-1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 127-102 L @ MIN | 6 | 2-8 (0-4) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| Reed Sheppard (HOU) | 126-107 L @ OKC | 4 | 2-2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -7 | 18 |
| Cason Wallace (OKC) | 126-107 W vs. HOU | 4 | 2-4 (0-1) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| Antonio Reeves (NOP) | 115-88 L @ ORL | 3 | 1-5 (1-3) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -18 | 18 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 107-98 L vs. LAC | 0 | 0-3 (0-2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 103-83 W vs. IND | DNP-Rib | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PJ Washington (DAL) | 114-113 L vs. PHX | DNP-Knee | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 116-106 L @ LAL | DNP-Hamstring | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TyTy Washington (PHX) | 114-113 W @ DAL | DNP-G League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Livingston (MIL) | 116-94 L @ NYK | DNP-G League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Edwards (PHI) | 116-106 L @ LAL | DNP-G League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 116-106 W vs. PHI | DNP-Foot | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jacob Toppin (NYK) | 116-94 W vs. MIL | DNP-CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 103-83 L @ CHA | DNP-Achilles | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA
- 5:00 PM | Jazz (Juzang, Tshiebwe) @ Spurs (Johnson)
- 7:30 PM | Nets @ Cavaliers
- 7:30 PM | Bulls @ Hawks
- 10:30 PM | Raptors (Quickley) @ Clippers
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