BBNBA: Kings lock up playoff spot, Anthony Davis drops 38

There were a couple of eruptions in the Association Wednesday evening, and the BBNBA members made sure to get in on the action. Anthony Davis, Shaedon Sharpe, and Devin Booker all led their respective squads in scoring last night. The Sacramento Kings exorcized some demons as well. It’s a BBNBA bonanza!

Let’s rewind to the year 2006. Nintendo had just released the Wii, gasoline cost roughly $2.50 per gallon, YouTube was only a year old, and the Kings were in the NBA playoffs. 17 years and four presidents later, Sacramento finds itself back in the postseason. The Kings dominated the Trail Blazers in Portland to clinch a long-awaited playoff berth.

Sacramento beat Portland 120-80 on Wednesday night, despite Sharpe’s career-high night. The Kentucky boys led the way in the Kings’ clincher. Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Malik Monk, went for 19 points off the bench. Monk’s past and present backcourt partner, De’Aaron Fox, dropped a cool 18 points and six assists. Sacramento dominated Portland after losing the first quarter and cruised into the postseason. A first-time All-Star, Fox will be playoff bound for the first time in his career. Pay your dues to the Kentucky Kings!

On the other end of the floor, Sharpe had himself a marvelous night. A career-high 30 points led the way for the playoff-eliminated Trail Blazers. In fact, the rookie doubled any of his teammate’s points Wednesday night. Sharpe also played a career-high 44 minutes and shot 10-27 from the field. While a disappointing season in the Pacific Northwest wraps up, you’ve got to think Sharpe is a staple for the future of Portland.

Western Conference BBNBA

Some massive matchups took place in terms of seeding for the Western Conference. The Lakers and Suns are both in different spots, but nonetheless, these remaining games prove vital in both their seasons. Anthony Davis and Devin Booker made sure to put on for their squads as the regular season dwindles down.

Davis punished the Chicago Bulls, going off for 38 points and 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers win. Efficiency has been Davis’ first name, considering he’s scored 26 or more in three of his last four contests. He’s averaging 26.1 PPG and 12.4 RPG over the course of the season. Remember that this man wasn’t selected for the All-Star Game. Los Angeles has won four of its last five games and because of this has jumped to eighth in the West with a 38-38 record. If the Lakers can stay hot, they could finesse their way out of Play-In territory. One of the more impressive things Davis did last night was continue to play after catching a low blow.

Oh no, AD 😳 pic.twitter.com/UpgYX7bJza

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2023

Booker continued his tear as of late with 29 points against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Book led the Phoenix Suns in scoring as they escaped at home with a 107-100 win. The desert sun seems to be heating up this team, which is on a three-game winning streak and now sits in fourth in the Western Conference. Coming back from injury, Booker has been a scoring machine, which shouldn’t be surprising. He’s played in 19 of his last 20 games and his lowest-scoring night was 19 points. Talk about heating up at the right time of the year.

Meanwhile, Towns chipped in 25 points and eight rebounds (plus six turnovers) on 9-17 shooting in 33 minutes played. Since returning from a strained calf injury that sidelined him for 51 games, KAT has appeared in three games for the Wolves, averaging 20.3 points and 5.7 rebounds on 43.1 percent shooting.

Other BBNBA notes

• Immanuel Quickley followed up his career-high on Monday, with 24 points against the Heat. IQ finished with 24 points off the bench for the New York Knicks. Julius Randle was quiet for New York, only dropping three points, while Bam Adebayo was relatively shut down for Miami with nine points. Tyler Herro put up 16 points, but Miami lost 101-92 to New York.
• Tyrese Maxey was productive with 22 points in Philly’s 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Maxey seems to have found his starting lineup spot again as the Sixers have clinched postseason hoops.
• Isaiah Jackson saw a rare start for the Pacers. Indiana lost 149-136 to the Milwaukee Bucks, but Jackson added nine points. The Pacers are all but eliminated from the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

3/29/23 BBNBA Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Anthony Davis (LAL)	121-110 W @ CHI	38	13-20 (1-1)	10	4	2	2	0	31	+23
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	120-80 L vs. SAC	30	10-27 (6-13)	7	7	0	1	3	44	-28
Devin Booker (PHX)	107-100 W vs. MIN	29	8-18 (1-4)	3	5	4	0	3	36	+12
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	107-100 L @ PHX	25	9-17 (5-10)	8	2	0	0	6	33	+2
Immanuel Quickley (NYK)	101-92 W vs. MIA	24	8-14 (2-5)	1	4	3	0	1	31	+14
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	116-108 W vs. DAL	22	6-13 (4-9)	4	4	2	0	1	34	+8
Malik Monk (SAC)	120-80 W @ POR	19	6-12 (5-9)	6	6	1	0	1	21	+34
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	120-80 W @ POR	18	7-14 (2-7)	3	6	2	0	2	27	+28
Tyler Herro (MIA)	101-92 L @ NYK	16	6-16 (2-10)	2	1	0	0	0	35	+6
Kevin Knox II (POR)	120-80 L vs. SAC	12	6-16 (0-5)	12	1	1	0	4	39	-41
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	149-136 L vs. MIL	9	4-10 (0-0)	3	1	0	3	1	22	-15
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	101-92 L @ NYK	9	4-10 (0-0)	11	4	1	0	3	35	-6
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	121-110 W @ CHI	8	3-5 (2-3)	7	2	1	0	0	24	+11
Trey Lyles (SAC)	120-80 W @ POR	8	2-9 (2-7)	4	0	0	0	0	21	+34
Julius Randle (NYK)	101-92 W vs. MIA	3	1-5 (0-2)	5	1	0	0	2	14	-3
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	121-110 W @ CHI	0	0-1 (0-0)	3	0	0	0	0	10	-3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	107-106 W vs. DET	DNP	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU)	123-114 L @ BKN	DNP	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Olivier Sarr (OKC)	107-106 W vs. DET	DNP	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	128-117 L vs. UTA	DNP	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	107-106 L @ OKC	DNP	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	141-132 W @ MEM	DNP	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Tonight in the NBA

7:30 (TNT): Celtics @ Bucks
10:00 (TNT): Pelicans @ Nuggets (Murray)