BBNBA: De'Aaron Fox leads the way in California showdown
The BBNBA put on a show in the City of Angels on Friday night. De’Aaron Fox went off for 32 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. The near triple-double was just enough to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 120-114 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Fox was in his bag, recording his fourth 30+ point game. The secret to the ex-Kentucky guard going off? Less sleep, apparently.
The Purple and Gold look as lost as ever losing their fifth straight game. However, Anthony Davis posted a huge night leading all Lakers players in points and rebounds. Davis had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the losing effort. “The Brow” has dropped at least 20 points in his last three games. If we’re getting flashbacks to Davis’ performances in the NBA Bubble where he led LA to a championship, the whole league should be put on notice. Yet, even Davis is human and while his outings seem to improve, the Lakers continue to deteriorate.
The rest of the BBNBA didn’t add too much in this Golden State contest. Wenyen Gabriel saw a rare start against Sacramento and may have raised some eyebrows. Gabriel went a perfect 4-4 from the field in 19 minutes of action. His eight points gave him his season-high. On the Sacramento side of things, Trey Lyles wasn’t able to score after a big performance Wednesday night while Malik Monk added eight points.
However, the focus is on Fox. Swipa’s dynamite display included a little bit of everything. Buzzer beaters, mid-ranges, and coast-to-coast sprints were all on the Fox menu. If this Kings team can stay healthy, beware of their presence in the Wild Wild West.
All smiles in San Antonio
Keldon Johnson put on for the BBNBA in a big way finding his groove again in a 111-93 victory against the injured Milwaukee Bucks. Johnson’s 29 points led all scorers as the San Antonio Spurs led for most of the game.
With the win, San Antonio moves to 6-7 on the young season. In a year that was anticipated for a tank, the Spurs are hanging around with Johnson producing most of the numbers on a young squad. To prove the point, he’s averaging 23.1 points a game after putting pen to paper on a large contract extension this summer.
Johnson had every trick going his way on Friday night. San Antonio’s number three should continue to score as he’s the man to go to when the Spurs need a bucket down the stretch.
Other BBNBA notes
- Jamal Murray‘s double-double wasn’t enough for Denver as the Nuggets lost 131-112 to the Boston Celtics. Murray’s 14 points and 10 assists marked the first double-double of his return campaign. The Canadian guard is averaging 15.5 PPG through 12 games.
- Devin Booker cooled off after his monstrous Wednesday night where he dropped 32 points. Booker’s 17 points and eight rebounds on Friday weren’t enough in Orlando. The Suns dropped a quite lopsided contest 114-97 to the Orlando Magic.
- A storyline that might not be getting as much love as it deserves is the solid play of Julius Randle. Randle has posted at least 20 points in his last four starts with the Knicks sitting at .500. On a squad where you don’t know if Jalen Brunson or RJ Barrett will give you 20 points, Randle has been a nice constant. That being said, if Randle continues his play and the rest of New York’s stars get going, this could be a competing team in a very strong Eastern Conference. The Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 121-112 on Friday night with Randle adding 21 points.
- This’ll feel like an off-night for him but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still led his team to a victory. SGA dropped 20 points in a 132-113 outing against the Toronto Raptors. Gilgeous-Alexander recently dropped 39 on Wednesday for the Oklahoma City Thunder in another scoring bonanza from him. He’s averaging a jaw-dropping 30.5 PPG on a team where he is the alpha dog, similar to Keldon Johnson.
11/11/22 BBNBA statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 120-114 W @ LAL | 32 | 13-19 (2-5) | 7 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | +13 | 35 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 111-93 W vs. MIL | 29 | 9-17 (5-8) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +7 | 31 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 120-114 L vs. SAC | 24 | 8-17 (0-1) | 14 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -7 | 34 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 121-112 W vs. DET | 21 | 8-18 (0-7) | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +13 | 32 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 132-113 vs. TOR | 20 | 8-14 (1-2) | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | +13 | 28 |
| Devin Booker (PHO) | 114-97 L @ ORL | 17 | 6-19 (2-8) | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -27 | 34 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 131-112 L @ BOS | 14 | 6-17 (1-5) | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -12 | 34 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 121-112 L @ NYK | 13 | 4-5 (0-0) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 15 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 114-103 L @ MEM | 13 | 4-9 (1-4) | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -5 | 26 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 120-114 W @ LAL | 8 | 3-7 (0-2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +4 | 20 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 120-114 L vs. SAC | 8 | 4-4 (0-0) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +10 | 19 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 121-112 W vs. DET | 8 | 3-6 (2-3) | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 21 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 120-114 W @ LAL | 0 | 0-4 (0-4) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7 | 14 |
| Kevin Knox (DET) | 121-112 L @ NYK | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nerlens Noel (DET) | 121-112 L @ NYK | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
4:00: Nets @ Clippers (Wall, Boston)
6:00: Jazz (Vanderbilt) @ Wizards
7:00: Celtics @ Pistons (Diallo, Knox, Noel)
7:00: Raptors @ Pacers (Jackson)
7:30: Hawks @ 76ers (Maxey)
8:00: Hornets (PJ Washington, Richards) @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
8:30 (NBA TV): Rockets (TyTy Washington) @ Pelicans
8:30: Trail Blazers (Sarr: out, Sharpe) @ Mavericks
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