BBNBA: Keldon Johnson Drops Career High 36 in Win Over Nets

The San Antonio Spurs bested the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving-less Brooklyn Nets 106-98 on Tuesday. Former Wildcat Keldon Johnson enjoyed the best game of his entire career, scoring a career-high 36 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four steals. Johnson was able to get anything he pleased and even had an absolutely monster dunk on former Georgia Bulldog Nic Claxton. I

n fact, most of Johnson’s points came at the rim with his signature bully-like drives to give the Spurs the W.

Keldon Johnson's 36 points tonight is a career-high 🎉🔥 pic.twitter.com/xHMJwgKdyf

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 18, 2023

Spurs rookie forward Jeremy Sochan put it best when describing what Johnson means to San Antonio.

“A ton of energy, a ton of confidence, that’s who Keldon is,” Sochan said postgame. “He is great. We all trust him.”

The Spurs are in full rebuild mode. Their roster consists of players that wouldn’t play on the other 29 teams in the league. However, one player is at the center of the rebuild and provides hope to the Spurs faithful of better days. Johnson has been amazing since joining the Spurs in 2019.

One reason for Johnson’s success has been his coach, Gregg Popovich. He’s the most respected coach in the NBA, and has been invaluable to Johnson’s development.

“When he first came in [to the NBA] he was kind of a bull in a China shop. He’s gotten a lot more sophisticated,” Popovich said.

Again, this is high praise from a Hall of Fame head coach who has led some of the best.

Tyrese Maxey comes off bench for 22 crucial points in Sixers win

Tyrese Maxey is one of the best scoring guards in the Eastern Conference. Many teams would give up a lot of capital to acquire the 22-year-old. However, Maxey found himself on the bench for the Sixers’ matchup with the Clippers on Tuesday night. Doc Rivers had said leading into the game that tweaks would be happening to the starting lineup.

Rivers decided that former USC Trojan De’Anthony Melton would get the start over Maxey. However, this setback did not faze the former Wildcat. Maxey finished the game with 22 points and a team-high +23 on the boxscore in Philly’s 120-110 win. Reports before the matchup suggested that it was Maxey’s idea to start the game on the pine.

Maxey, on coming off the bench. Even when he’s disappointed, he’s team first & positive. pic.twitter.com/hV84jTrTen

— DFAntastic (@PhillyTradesman) January 16, 2023

Maxey is loved in the city of brotherly love for this very reason. The former ‘Cat will do anything to win, and he will do it with a smile on his face.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• Jamal Murray enjoyed a great night with 17 points and seven assists in a Nuggets win. Denver has been red-hot lately winning seven in a row. Shadeon Sharpe had 13 points for the Trail Blazers in the loss to Denver. He has been carving out his role very well in Portland.

1/17/2023 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	106-98 W vs. BKN	36	11-26(3-11)	11	1	4	0	1	38	+17
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	120-110 W @ LAC	22	7-12 (3-5)	2	2	1	0	1	28	+23
Jamal Murray (DEN)	122-113 W vs POR	17	6-15 (3-7)	5	7	2	1	0	30	+13
Shadeon Sharpe (POR)	113-123 L @ DEN	13	5-7 (2-4)	2	0	0	0	1	18	0
John Wall (LAC)	110-120 L vs PHI	DNP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	110-120 L vs PHI	DNP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

7:30: Wizards @ Knicks (Quickley, Randle)
7:30 (ESPN): Hawks @ Mavericks
8:00: Hornets (PJ Washington, Richards) @ Rockets (TyTy Washington)
8:00: Cavaliers @ Grizzlies
8:00: Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Pelicans
8:00: Pacers (Jackson) @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander)
9:00: Clippers (Wall, Boston Jr.) @ Jazz
10:00 (ESPN): Timberwolves (Towns: out) @ Nuggets (Murray)
10:30: Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles) @ Lakers (Davis: out, Gabriel)