BBNBA: Lakers remain undefeated behind Anthony Davis's 31 points

Are the Los Angeles Lakers going to be good? Like, actually good? Is the guy every Kentucky fan loved to hate when he was at Duke, JJ Redick, going to elevate that team to championship caliber as their new head coach? It is too early to tell, but the Lake Show is 3-0 to start the season and Anthony Davis has had a lot to do with it.

Davis filled up the stat sheet on Saturday night in a high-scoring affair against the Sacramento Kings, with 31 points, nine rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks. Weirdly enough, he actually had a plus/minus rating of -22, but it is hard to knock those numbers.

As for the Kings, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, fresh off their act of Kentucky loyalty during a signing session, put up some pretty good numbers themselves. Fox recorded a double-double with 28 points, 10 assists, and tacked on five boards and two steals as well. Monk came off the bench for 14. Trey Lyles also came in and hit a 3 for the Kings.

Fox, Monk, and Lyles weren’t the only former ‘Cats to dress for the game, though. Skal Labiessiere (remember him) also suited up for Sacramento. Although he is not on a two-way contract, he got the early-season call-up from G-League status and held down the end of the bench. No word on if this will be the norm.

As hot as Davis and the Lakers are, the Kings have yet to find a win yet. They are a fun team full of former Kentucky guys, so let’s hope they find a rhythm soon.

Julius Randle and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drop 20-plus points in victories

Julius Randle is figuring things out in his new home. For a guy who probably hasn’t had time to move all his underwear into his new living quarters, the man is settling in just fine. He erupted for 24 points, nine boards, and five assists against the Immanuel Quickley-less Toronto Raptors on Saturday, as the Wolves got the win.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is picking up where his MVP-candidate season left off last season. On Saturday, he scored 23 points, grabbed eight boards, and came away with four steals as the Thunder cruised past the Chicago Bulls 114-95.

Cason Wallace is now a starter for Oklahoma City as his defensive prowess makes him hard to keep off the floor. He had three steals to go along with nine points, six rebounds, and one ferocious dunk.

Other BBNBA Notes

• Reed Sheppard went scoreless in just six minutes of action in his third NBA game. He tore up the Summer League and looked good in Fall camp, but the NBA regular season is a different animal. It will take him some reps to get his feet under him.
• Tyler Herro is back healthy on the court after a series of injuries sidelined him more than he would have preferred last year. On Saturday in a Heat victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Herro dropped 22 points including 3-7 from deep.

BBNBA 10/26/24 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	131-127 W vs. SAC	31	10-15 (1-2)	9	2	3	2	2	-22	38
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	127-131 L vs. LAL	28	9-20 (3-10)	5	10	2	0	6	-5	41
Julius Randle (MIN)	112-101 W vs. TOR	24	9-16 (1-4)	9	5	0	0	4	+7	36
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	114-95 W vs. CHI	23	9-21 (2-9)	8	2	4	0	1	+23	30
Tyler Herro (MIA)	114-106 W vs. CHA	22	7-15 (3-7)	5	5	1	0	3	0	33
Jamal Murray (DEN)	104-109 L vs. LAC	22	7-14 (3-6)	2	5	2	0	2	+6	37
Devin Booker (PHX)	114-102 W vs. DAL	21	4-12 (2-8)	1	5	1	0	1	+7	37
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	109-106 W vs. HOU	16	5-11 (1-3)	8	0	1	0	0	+4	16
Malik Monk (SAC)	127-131 L vs. LAL	14	6-14 (2-7)	3	5	1	0	0	+20	28
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	114-106 W vs. CHA	12	6-17 (0-2)	11	3	1	1	1	0	33
Nick Richards (CHA)	106-114 L vs. MIA	12	5-8 (0-1)	12	1	1	3	3	-8	35
Cason Wallace (OKC)	114-95 W vs. CHI	9	4-11 (0-4)	6	2	3	0	0	+15	29
Trey Lyles (SAC)	127-131 L vs. LAL	5	1-6 (1-6)	4	1	1	1	0	-7	19
PJ Washington (DAL)	102-114 L vs. PHX	5	2-10 (1-5)	6	0	1	1	1	-3	35
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	106-109 L vs. SAS	0	0-2 (0-1)	1	1	0	0	1	-7	6
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	131-127 W vs. SAC	DNP-Foot
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	101-112 L vs. MIN	DNP-Thumb
TyTy Washington (PHX) [Two-way]	114-102 W vs. DAL	DNP-CD
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	112-101 W vs. TOR	DNP-CD
Skal Labiessiere (SAC)	127-131 L vs. LAL	DNP-CD

Today in the NBA

3:30 | 76ers (Maxey, Edwards) @ Pacers (Jackson)
6:00 | Bucks (Livingston) @ Nets
6:00 | Pelicans (Reeves, Boston) @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe: out)
7:00 | Hawks @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)
8:30 | Clippers @ Warriors