BBNBA: Kentucky trio leads Kings to 5th straight win

Don’t look now, folks, but the Sacramento Kings are playing good basketball. I know, I know… You think I’m bordering on insanity — can’t say I blame you, honestly. But I assure you it’s true! And we can thank a trio of former Kentucky Wildcats for the run of recent success.

Thursday night marked the Kings’ fifth straight win, putting the basement-dwelling franchise at 8-6 on the season and in the postseason picture. Behind a team-high 28 points from star point guard De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento put up 130 points in an 18-point win over the Keldon Johnson-less San Antonio Spurs. It wasn’t the highest-scoring contest of the year for Fox (that would be his 37-burger against Orlando on Nov. 11), but it might have been his best overall performance.

Fox made 11 of 15 shots on his way to 28 points, connecting on two of his three shots from long range, as well. He also added three rebounds, eight assists, and one steal, while turning the ball over zero times in 31 minutes of action. It wasn’t all him, though. Kings’ sharpshooter Malik Monk popped off for his season-high of 26 points on 11-19 shooting, including a 4-9 clip from deep. Fox and Monk were aided by an additional 14 points (5-8 shooting) and three rebounds from the third former ‘Cat for Sacramento, Trey Lyles.

The Kings currently have the second-best offense in the entire NBA and pour in an average of 120.3 points per game. The defense may be hemorrhaging points (26th out of 30 in the NBA on that end) but the offense is lethally potent, mainly thanks to Fox. Sacramento has beaten the Cavaliers, Lakers, Warriors, Nets, and now the Spurs as part of the winning streak.

Playoffs, here we come!

Shaedon Sharpe’s career night in Portland

Every Kentucky fan’s favorite player to hate, Shaedon Sharpe, had a hell of a performance on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets.

Playing 21 minutes off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers in a thrilling (yet slightly disappointing) 109-107 loss, Sharpe finished with a career-best 20 points on a 7-9 shooting clip, including an impressive 4-5 mark from distance. The 19-year-old rookie also brought in two rebounds to cap off his best scoring night in the NBA yet.

Through 14 games played (four of them as a starter) for the red-hot Blazers this season, Sharpe has played a steady contributing role off the bench. He’s hit double-figures in scoring on nine different occasions for Portland, including back-to-back outings with at least 13 points. More important, though, is how efficient Sharpe has been early in his pro career. He’s shot 56-101 (55.4%) from the field so far and 18-35 (51.4%) from deep.

The Blazers, sitting on the best record in the Western Conference at 10-5, have something interesting brewing in the pacific northwest. Damian Lillard is playing at his usual All-NBA level while secondary scorers Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant have stepped up to the table. Sharpe has played a decent part in the team’s early success as the seventh man in the rotation.

11/17/22 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	130-112 W vs. SAS	28	11-15 (2-3)	3	8	1	0	0	36	31
Malik Monk (SAC)	130-112 W vs. SAS	26	11-19 (4-9)	4	2	0	0	1	19	28
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	109-107 L vs. BKN	20	7-9 (4-5)	2	0	0	0	2	0	21
Trey Lyles (SAC)	130-112 W vs. SAS	14	5-8 (1-4)	3	0	1	0	0	7	19
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	96-91 L @ LAC	5	2-4 (0-1)	3	2	0	2	0	3	16
Kevin Knox (DET)	96-91 L @ LAC	3	1-4 (1-3)	2	0	1	2	0	6	9
John Wall (LAC)	96-91 W vs. DET	3	1-4 (1-2)	1	4	0	0	6	-4	13
Olivier Sarr (POR)	109-107 L vs. BKN	DNP-Wrist	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nerlens Noel (DET)	96-91 L @ LAC	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	96-91 W vs. DET	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	130-112 L @ SAC	DNP-Ankle	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

7:00: Heat (Adebayo – questionable, Herro – out) @ Wizards
7:30: Hornets (Richards, PJ Washington) @ Cavaliers
7:30 (ESPN): Bucks @ 76ers (Maxey)
8:00: Magic @ Bulls
8:00: Pacers (Jackson) @ Rockets (TyTy Washington – G League)
8:00: Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander) @ Grizzlies
8:30: Nuggets (Murray – Health/Safety Protocols) @ Mavericks
8:30: Celtics @ Pelicans
9:00: Suns (Booker) @ Jazz (Vanderbilt)
10:00 (ESPN): Knicks (Quickley, Randle) @ Warriors
10:30: Pistons (Diallo, Knox, Noel) @ Lakers (Davis – probable, Gabriel)