BBNBA: Fox & Sabonis defeat Timberwolves; Lakers dysfunction continues
The De’Aaron Fox-Domantas Sabonis combo is off to a terrific start as the Los Angeles Lakers continue to spiral. Let’s talk some NBA following an action-packed trade deadline day.
Sabonis helps lead Kings over T-Wolves in first game
I wrote extensively about All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis being traded to the Kings, so check that out. On today’s recap, I’ll stick to last night’s game, which already feels like a vindication for the deal.
Sacramento’s first bucket in last night’s game came via a De’Aaron Fox pass to Sabonis, who rolled off a ghost screen and bodied a smaller defender for a bucket in the post. Man have the Kings been missing a dude who can bully people down low since DeMarcus Cousins left.
Sabonis finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in his Sacramento debut. He also took 19 shots, and only attempted more in one other game this season in Indiana. With his overall numbers dipping compared to last year and the Pacers performing at the bottom of the East, the shakeup may rejuvenate Sabonis. And working with a pick-and-roll partner and point guard like De’Aaron Fox makes for a perfect match.
The chemistry already seems like it’s there. Check out the highlights from the win (below) and just watch how much fun that entire stadium had. From Fox and Sabonis high-fiving to bench players jumping up and down, it was the most electric Kings crowd I’ve seen since Fox arrived. A lot of progress remains before this trade can be dubbed a rousing success, but the early returns are enchanting.
NEWS: Trey Lyles, Donte DiVincenzo head to Kings
So the deadline isn’t going to pass without some more fireworks, and the Kings are right back in business acquiring former ‘Cat Trey Lyles, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Jackson as part of a four-team trade.
I wrote recently about Lyles having the best month of his career up in desolate Detroit, and the Kings must have liked what they saw. SAC grabs Lyles, Milwaukee sharpshooter DiVincenzo (who they tried to acquire following the 2020 season) and Josh Jackson while sending out former second overall pick Marvin Bagley.
A big deal in terms of the sheer number of names involved, but not a blockbuster by any stretch — DiVincenzo, Lyles and Jackson all project to possibly earn rotation minutes for the Kings. DiVincenzo likely starts and fills the shooting guard void left by Buddy Hield.
LAL loses to pitiful Blazers team
The Los Angeles Lakers — who employ LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook — dropped to four games under-.500 last night with a loss to a Trail Blazers team that played *one* of their opening day starters. Damian Lillard is out with abdomen issues, CJ McCollum was just traded and dudes such as Keljin Blevins and CJ Elleby were issued jerseys and deployed to battle against the 2020 NBA Champions. Even crazier…they won!
LeBron James was his typical self with 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, had one of his ghostly performances. He disappeared for large parts of the game and only took 11 shots despite playing 41 minutes. 11 shots. Portland had Justise Winslow, Ben McLemore and CJ Elleby attempt more shots than Davis. Inexcusable for a supposed top five to seven player in the NBA.
LeBron was NOT pleased following the poor performance and was candid about how he views LA at this point in the season.
Other BBNBA Notes
Keldon Johnson remains consistent. San Antonio is oft-forgotten and so is their second-leading scorer. That’s right, behind first-year All-Star Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson is the second-highest scorer for the Spurs. He averages 15.4 points per game and has appeared in more games than any other Spur while also playing the second-most minutes. He is a foundational piece in San Antonio now and will be a major part of the next phase of the franchise. It just may take a while for the Spurs to get back in the mix.
Hornets’ backup front-court is all ‘Cats. Charlotte lost their sixth game in a row last night and only brought three players off the bench. Two of which were Nick Richards and PJ Washington, who serve as the usual reserve forwards for the Hornets. Washington plays a hefty amount of center this season but can also stretch out to the three in certain occasions. Richards is popping in for 10 or 15 minutes a night to give Charlotte some semblance of length when Mason Plumlee sits.
| Player | Result | Points | FG(3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 132-119 W vs. MIN | 27 | 10-20 (2-4) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | +15 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 132-119 L @ SAC | 21 | 9-17 (1-4) | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 34 | +4 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 105-92 L @ CLE | 18 | 7-21 (3-9) | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | -21 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 107-105 L @ POR | 17 | 8-11 (0-1) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 41 | -1 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 121-109 L vs. CHI | 9 | 3-3 (0-0) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | -1 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 132-119 L @ SAC | 8 | 3-4 (0-0) | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 | +7 |
| Malik Monk (LAL) | 107-105 L @ POR | 7 | 3-8 (1-1) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 29 | +0 |
| Rajón Rondo (CLE) | 105-92 W vs. SAS | 5 | 1-3 (1-2) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | +1 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 121-109 L vs. CHI | 5 | 2-7 (1-5) | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 34 | -14 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 117-98 L vs. TOR | DNP – Ankle | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
3:00 p.m. NBA Trade Deadline
7:00 p.m. Grizzlies @ Pistons (Lyles)
7:30 p.m. (TNT) Nets @ Wizards
7:30 p.m. Heat (Herro, Adebayo) @ Pelicans
8:00 p.m. Raptors @ Rockets
8:30 p.m. Clippers (Boston) @ Mavericks
10:00 p.m. (TNT) Bucks @ Suns (Booker)
10:00 p.m. Knicks (Randle, Quickly, Noel) @ Warriors
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