BBNBA: Boston Breaks Out

While the ‘Cats were putting a whoopin’ on The Mount, another quiet Tuesday night in the NBA came and went. With just three games on the slate once again, only a few BBN alumni were in action professionally. But for one recent “graduate,” it was probably the most memorable night he’s had in some time. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to B.J. Boston SZN.

Boston sparks Clips in NBA return

Since making his NBA debut on October 25, Brandon Boston Jr. has had difficulty cracking the Clippers’ rotation. This isn’t surprising, given his status as a late-second round pick, but the team inking him to a two-year guaranteed contract back in August indicated that they had faith in the young man. Still, in limited action across four games, he had a total of just three points.

What is surprising — at least, to Kentucky fans who saw him struggle to score the ball in ample opportunity last year — is that he’s been killing it in the G-League. And the Clips evidently took notice, as they recalled him ahead of Tuesday’s home contest with the Spurs. With a few players sitting out due to injury, Boston was thrust into the fire: after recording just 13 minutes all season, he played 10 in the first half alone, despite not making a single shot.

Then the second half began, and Boston hit his rhythm. He got it started with this sweet turnaround bucket:

A @bboston_ bucket.

📺 @BallySportWest | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/4JegryAe12

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 17, 2021

And shortly after, he followed it up with career three-pointer no. 1. Look at that smooth stroke!

First career triple for @bboston_ 👌

📺 @BallySportWest | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/LrFvuoq8pc

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 17, 2021

Boston would go on to score a career-high 13 points on 4-7 shooting, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. Yowza! After the game, he earned a shoutout from teammate Paul George:

"He gives us energy." @Yg_Trece on what rookie @bboston_ brings to the squad. pic.twitter.com/tTQp7EUqpm

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 17, 2021

The game was an unexpected delight from B.J., who reportedly had no idea he was even playing until coach Ty Lue put him in. The rookie summed up his contributions hilariously in the press room:

Brandon Boston Jr. on his offensive arsenal: "I don't know what I'm going to do so there's no way the defense knows what I'm going to do."

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) November 17, 2021

We’re not sure, either, but hey if it’s working, keep at it baby.

Elsewhere in the box, Eric Bledsoe contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Clips, while Keldon Johnson had 10 points and five boards on the other side for the San Antonio Spurs. The Clippers won 106-92 and improve to 9-5.

Maxey’s 16 leads Sixers in fifth straight loss

The Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers are floundering after a hot start, but it sure isn’t Tyrese Maxey‘s fault. After dropping 31 on the Bucks last Tuesday, the second-year guard followed it up with 33 in a loss to the Raptors on Thursday and 24 in a battle with the Pacers on Saturday. Last night, he chipped in 16 points on 7-14 shooting in Philly’s 120-85 loss to the Jazz, their most lopsided defeat yet.

Maxey only played 29 minutes in this one, his second-fewest P.T. of the season, which is a wild thing to type after last season. But with this game out of reach pretty early, there wasn’t much point pushing the envelope.

Tyrese Maxey confidently taking and making threes early in the shot clock is a great sight to see.

pic.twitter.com/5bcPVWOqbC

— Harrison Grimm (@Harrison_Grimm) November 17, 2021

Speaking of Maxey, he was featured in a pretty cool NBA promotional video before the game where he lays out the story behind his choice of #0. Check it out:

"ZERO excuses…"#NBAJerseyDay is on Tuesday, December 14th, @TyreseMaxey tells us why he wears No. 0!

The @sixers take on the Jazz tonight at 10pm/et on TNT. pic.twitter.com/0zh7JR0oOX

— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2021

With Ben Simmons out of the picture, the swingman has more than doubled his scoring totals this season, averaging 17.5 points per game this season while shooting an excellent 42% clip from three-point land. Now if he could just get some help, this team might go somewhere…

Here are the full lines from our four Big Blue representatives last night:

Today in the NBA

7:00 – Wizards @ Hornets (Washington*, Richards)

7:00 – Pacers @ Pistons (Diallo, Lyles)

7:30 – Celtics (Kanter) @ Hawks

7:30 – Cavaliers @ Nets

7:30 – Pelicans @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)

7:30 – Magic (Mulder) @ Knicks (Randle, Noel*, Quickley, Knox)

7:30 (ESPN) – Lakers (Davis, Monk, Rondo) @ Bucks

8:00 – Kings (Fox) @ Timberwolves (Towns, Vanderbilt)

8:00 – Rockets (Wall*) @ Thunder (SGA)

10:00 (ESPN) – Mavericks (WCS) @ Suns (Booker)

10:00 – Bulls @ Trail Blazers

* –inactive