BBNBA: Former 'Cats shine on Festivus, but head into Christmas on losing streaks

It was a loaded night of NBA action on Christmas Eve Eve (otherwise known as Festivus to sitcom fans), with 28 of the league’s 30 teams hitting the floor on Friday night. A total of 17 former Kentucky Wildcats saw some sort of playing time, including 12 finishing in double-figures. However, only three of those one-time ‘Cats picked up a win.

Let’s dive straight into the recaps, starting with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s career-high 44 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In what was his third 40-point outing of the season, SGA put on a clinic in a 128-125 overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite the Pelicans missing Zion Williamson, OKC blew a nine-point fourth-quarter lead down the stretch before flailing in the extra period. SGA also chipped in 10 rebounds and six assists for his second double-double of the season, but his team came up short and had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored at least 30 points in 18 out of a possible 30 games played this season.

Knicks lose heartbreaker to Bulls in NYC

In what was the game of the night, the New York Knicks lost a heartbreaker to the Chicago Bulls thanks to a DeMar DeRozan game-winning shot with under one second left in regulation. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson missed a pair of free throws in the closing seconds that would have given New York a three-point lead, which allowed DeRozan to come in clutch.

In spite of the loss, Julius Randle had another impressive performance for the Knicks. He finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 11-22 from the field overall and 5-10 from distance. Over his last six outings (all double-doubles), Randle is averaging 24.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per contest while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor.

Immanuel Quickley chipped in 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists for New York, which has now lost two straight after rattling off eight wins in a row. RJ Barrett recorded a season-high 44 points for the Knicks, but his big night was overshadowed by a poor shooting clip at the charity stripe from his teammates. New York shot just 15-26 from the free-throw line in the loss.

Herro’s 28 not enough to down Pacers

Tyler Herro was the star for Miami in the Heat’s 111-108 loss to the Indiana Pacers, but he wasn’t the star of the entire night. That would be Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who exploded for a career-high 43 points and also hit the game-winning triple in the final moments.

But Herro was still impressive. The 22-year-old went for 28 points on 10-23 shooting and 5-13 from beyond the arc. He also added four rebounds and two assists to his stat line in 38 minutes of action. Herro’s 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in the regulation tied the game at 108 after the Heat trailed by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter.

Herro was aided by 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists from Bam Adebayo, who played 37 minutes and finished with an 8-19 shooting mark. On the Pacers sideline, Isaiah Jackson did not get off the bench as he was hit with a DNP-CD.

PJ Washington spoils Gabriel’s return

Wenyen Gabriel, who has been an unexpectedly important piece for the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season, played his third game in a row on Friday night after a shoulder injury kept him out since Dec. 4. The 25-year-old forward had his best outing since the return (and arguably his best of the season) in a 134-130 loss at home to the struggling Charlotte Hornets. Gabriel shot a perfect 5-5 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, and one block in just 16 minutes of play.

Unfortunately, without Anthony Davis, who is “out indefinitely” with a right foot injury, the Lakers looked mostly lifeless against the now 9-24 Hornets. The only time L.A. found a groove was when LeBron James poured in 18 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, nearly erasing a 16-point second-half hole. But the comeback effort was too little, too late.

For the Hornets, PJ Washington led the way with 24 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks in 31 minutes. He shot an efficient 8-13 from the floor overall and 3-6 from distance. Meanwhile, his Charlotte teammate, Nick Richards, added five points and three rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.

Kentucky’s 3 Kings fall to the Wiz

Over in Sacramento, the Kings dropped its second of three games after falling to the Washington Wizards 125-111. The Wiz had lost 10 of its previous 11 coming into the night but were propelled by 32 points from Kyle Kuzma to briefly end the skid.

For Sacramento’s trio of former Wildcats, it was a solid evening overall. De’Aaron Fox was his usual self, registering 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in 34 minutes while Malik Monk added 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals alongside his one-time Kentucky teammate. Lastly, Trey Lyles came off the Sacramento bench to add 14 points (on a perfect 6-6 shooting clip) and four rebounds.

Other BBNBA notes

• Jamal Murray was the highest-scoring former ‘Cat who picked up on a win on Friday, finishing with a stuffed stat line of 25 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals in 39 minutes for the Denver Nuggets. Murray sat out Denver’s win on Tuesday due to knee soreness but came out firing against the Portland Trail Blazers, leading the Nuggets to a 120-107 win. Shaedon Sharpe contributed two points and one rebound in 13 minutes of action for Portland.
• Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox recorded six points and five points, respectively, for the Detroit Pistons in a 130-105 blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Diallo chipped in four rebounds and three steals in his nine minutes while Knox added four rebounds in 16 minutes. Reserve big man Nerlens Noel did not see the floor for Detroit.
• Keldon Johnson posted 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 5-14 shooting in the San Antonio Spurs’ 133-113 loss to the Orlando Magic.

12/23/22 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	125-128 (OT) L vs. NOP	44	17-29 (3-4)	10	6	2	1	2	-6	43
Julius Randle (NYK)	117-118 L vs. CHI	29	11-22 (5-10)	12	3	1	2	1	-9	38
Tyler Herro (MIA)	108-111 L vs. IND	28	10-23 (5-13)	4	2	0	0	2	5	38
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	111-125 L vs. WAS	26	9-16 (0-3)	7	3	1	1	1	-10	34
Jamal Murray (DEN)	120-107 W vs. POR	25	9-17 (3-5)	8	12	2	0	3	20	39
PJ Washington (CHA)	134-130 W @ LAL	24	8-13 (3-6)	5	4	2	2	1	-9	31
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	108-111 L vs. IND	18	8-19	7	3	0	0	3	1	37
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	113-133 L @ ORL	17	5-14 (2-7)	4	4	1	0	2	-14	30
Malik Monk (SAC)	111-125 L vs. WAS	16	4-11 (2-6)	5	4	2	0	4	-6	26
Immanuel Quickley (NYK)	117-118 L vs. CHI	15	6-10 (1-5)	3	3	0	0	0	11	21
Trey Lyles (SAC)	111-125 L vs. WAS	14	6-6 (2-2)	4	1	1	1	2	8	23
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	130-134 L vs. CHA	13	5-5	7	0	0	1	1	-6	16
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	105-130 L @ ATL	6	2-4	4	1	3	0	1	-1	9
Kevin Knox (DET)	105-130 L @ ATL	5	2-9 (1-6)	4	0	0	0	0	-12	16
Nick Richards (CHA)	134-130 W @ LAL	5	2-3	3	0	1	0	1	17	12
TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU)	106-112 L vs. DAL	2	1-5 (0-1)	1	1	0	0	0	-2	12
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	107-120 L @ DEN	2	1-3 (0-1)	1	0	0	0	0	-14	13
Devin Booker (PHX)	100-125 L vs. MEM	DNP-Groin	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	114-119 L @ PHI	DNP-G League	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	119-114 W vs. LAC	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Anthony Davis (LAL)	130-134 L vs. CHA	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nerlens Noel (DET)	105-130 L @ ATL	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	111-108 W @ MIA	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	109-121 L @ BOS	DNP-Calf	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
John Wall (LAC)	114-119 L @ PHI	DNP-Ankle	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

No games on Christmas Eve! We’ll have a full breakdown of all five Christmas Day games coming to the site shortly. Stay tuned.