BBNBA: Boogie receiving love from coaches, fans in Denver

Happy Tuesday, BBN. We are just days away from NBA All-Star weekend, marking the midway point of the 2021-22 NBA season. Between roster additions and snapping losing streaks, there’s plenty to talk about today. So let’s do just that.

Boogie settles into new role in Denver

DeMarcus Cousins might have found himself a new home. The big man signed a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets three weeks ago and seems to be fitting in nicely. Last night, he helped push the Nuggets to their fourth win over the last five games with a 121-111 dub over the Orlando Magic.

Last night, Boogie scored nine points and snagged five rebounds in just 12 minutes of play. It wasn’t just his stats that impressed, though. Cousins, who is known for occasionally losing his temper, managed to calm down Austin Rivers after he was given a technical foul early in the fourth quarter. Though that might not seem a big deal, it’s a promising sign from a young man who might not have the best reputation in the NBA for keeping calm.

The organization and its fans are recognizing his effort and promise, too. “He’s found a home,” Denver head coach Michael Malone said following Monday night’s game. Malone coached Cousins in Sacramento several years ago and the two have remained close since. “I love him, and I think you can see all the teammates, when he has a play like that, whether it’s blocking a shot, rolling and dunking, hitting a three – you can feel the energy,” Malone added. Cousins was greeted with a standing-ovation from the Nuggets faithful after exiting last night’s game.

Coach Malone joked about this postgame, said he was giving DeMarcus Cousins a hard time because he hadn’t seen him roll for a while.

Cousins said to Malone “you haven’t seen that in a minute huh?”

Coach Malone said “in a MINUTE minute” pic.twitter.com/07zwQ9EuMG

— Katy Winge (@katywinge) February 15, 2022

Boogie is currently on his second 10-day contract with the team. Since that is the league limit, the Nuggets must now decide whether to offer Boogie a season contract in Denver or release him.

Randle’s triple-double not enough in Knicks loss to Thunder

More New York struggles here. Last night, the Knicks lost 127-123 in overtime to an underwhelming Oklahoma City Thunder team, marking NY’s sixth loss over the last seven games.

It wasn’t necessarily for lack of effort, though. Five Knicks players scored in double-digits led by a huge effort from former Wildcat Julius Randle, who finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 45 minutes of play. The big man has been criticized throughout the season for inconsistency, but seems to have hopefully found his groove again. He has led the Knicks in scoring over their last five games, averaging 28.8 points per game over that stretch.

JU AGAIN AND-OOONE 👀 pic.twitter.com/4QjsjaZTff

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 15, 2022

Evan Fournier wasn’t far behind with 29 of his own. Quentin Grimes and Mitchell Robinson had 19 and 14. Alec Burks added 11 off the bench, along with six rebounds and three assists. Immanuel Quickley has struggled recently, and last night was no different. Quickley had no points in his 14 minutes of play, going 0-5 from the 3-point line. He took the final shot of the game to possibly send it into overtime, but couldn’t convert. The former ‘Cat is shooting just 26.4% over his last four games.

2021 first-round draft pick Tre Mann led the Thunder with 30 points. His fellow rookie Josh Giddey had himself a game, too. Giddey ended with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in his first trip to The Garden. Former Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was heating up for the Thunder earlier this season, but sprained his right ankle against the Pacers a few weeks ago and has not returned.

Nets snap 11-game losing streak with new roster additions

The Brooklyn Nets have finally found their way back to the ‘W’ column. After losing 11 in a row during a tough stretch, the Nets beat the Sacramento Kings 109-85 at home on Monday night.

It was Seth Curry’s first game in Brooklyn as a member of the Nets. Curry was traded to Brooklyn on Thursday, along with two-time NBA All-Star Andre Drummond, in a deal that sent James Harden and Paul Milsap to the Philadelphia 76ers. Curry proved his worth last night, leading the Nets with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Drummond added 11 points and nine rebounds, along with two steals and a block.

That jumper is so smooth.

Seth Curry gets his first @BrooklynNets bucket! pic.twitter.com/7TmTkKY2b3

— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2022

Former UK point guard De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 26 points in the blowout. Fox is having an impressive season in Sacramento, averaging 21.5 points per game along with 5.1 assists. Though it was speculated he could have been sent to New York, the trade deadline passed to squash that possibility. The 24-year-old has led the Kings in scoring over three of their last four games.

Full stats from last night’s games:

Player	Result	Points	FG (3PA)	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Minutes	+/-
Julius Randle (NYK)	127-123 L to Thunder	30	11-26 (1-5)	13	10	0	0	7	45	-2
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	109-85 L to Nets	26	9-18 (2-5)	2	3	0	0	2	33	-21
Keldon Johnson (SA)	120-109 L to Bulls	13	4-12 (0-2)	3	2	1	0	1	31	-16
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	103-94 L to Wizards	10	3-7	6	1	1	1	0	21	-13
Demarcus Cousins (DEN)	121-111 W over Magic	9	3-6 (1-4)	5	0	1	0	3	12	+3
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	119-104 W over Warriors	8	3-3 (2-2)	0	0	0	1	0	4	-7
Immanuel Quickley (NYK)	127-123 L to Thunder	0	0-7 (0-5)	0	5	0	0	2	14	-5
Trey Lyles (SAC)	109-85 L to Nets	0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	3	-8

Today in the NBA:

Cavaliers (Rondo) at Hawks (Knox) – 7:30 p.m.

Mavericks at Heat (Adebayo, Herro) – 7:30 p.m.

Celtics at 76ers (Maxey) – 7:30 p.m. (TNT)

Pacers (Jackson) at Bucks – 8:00 p.m.

Hornets (Richards, Washington) at Timberwolves (Towns, Vanderbilt) – 8:00 p.m.

Grizzlies at Pelicans (Gabriel) – 8:00 p.m.

Clippers (Boston) at Suns (Booker) – 10:00 p.m. (TNT)